Athletics
Who is Tajinderpal Singh Toor? Ten things to know about the Indian shot putter
The latest entrant to India's mission at the Olympics and ten things to know about him
Tajinderpal Singh Toor failed to qualify for the final of Men's Shot Put (Source: AFI)
Big man 'Teji' has been the face of India shot put for the past few years. He has had brilliant performances across various events that he has competed in but has also struggled at times at the World Stage. Here we take a look at ten things that you should know about India's latest entrant at the Olympics.
1) Where does he hail from?
Tajinderpal Singh Toor hails from the Khosa Pando village in the Moga district of Punjab.
2) What sport did he play prior to taking up Shot put?
He was into cricket before switching full-time to shot put based on recommendations by his father. His uncle helped train him initially.
3) What is his height?
He stands at 5'11 feet.
4) Who is his coach?
Tajinderpal Toor is coached by Mohinder Singh Dhillon.Tajinderpal Singh Toor with coach Mohinder Singh Dhillon
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with coach Mohinder Singh Dhillon
5) What was his first top-three finish in shot put?
He won the national championship bronze medal in 2015 with an impressive score of 17.78m. He was aged 21 at that time.
6) What is his current world ranking?
His current world ranking is 28 with a total point tally of 1219. His overall ranking is 689.
7) What is his highest ever world ranking in shot put?
He attained the rank of 20 and held it for a total period of 5 weeks.
8) What are some of his notable achievements?
He has been awarded the Arjuna Award in recognition of his achievements. He finished 5th at the World University Games back in 2016 at the age of 22. He won Gold at the South Asian Games in 2019 and has won several medals at Interstate and Open India meet. He is also Asia's highest-ranked shot putter.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor receiving Arjuna award from sports minister Kiren Rijiju
9) What are his major international achievements?
His first international medal was at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 where he finished second with a throw of 19.77. He won Gold at the 2018 Asian Games with a total record throw of 20.75m. The throw also broke the national record at that time.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor Asian Games 2018 gold
10) What to expect from him in the future?
At the age of 26, he has been consistent within the range of 19-21m at all the events that he has competed in. Given that he stands within the top 30 in the world, one can expect him to exceed all expectations at this year's Olympics and at subsequent World Championships in his career.
