Indian Open Throws: Vikrant Malik wins javelin gold with season best effort

Vikrant Malik of Odisha had an outstanding show on the field as he clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw event, while Indian star shot putter, Tajinderpal Singh Toor added another gold to his illustrious medal tally at the Indian Open Throws on Friday.

Vikrant, making a terrific start to the season, showed some extreme power and managed three 80-plus throws including a mammoth 81.68m which is just 14 centimetres short of his Personal Best (PB).

He expressed his good form from the get-go as he unleashed an 81.11m throw on his second attempt. He was closely followed by Olympian, Shivpal Singh of Uttar Pradesh, who won the silver medal with a throw of 80.47m.

Parmod of Haryana clinched the bronze medal with a solid throw of 79.04m on his final attempt surpassing the favourite Sahil Silwal of Haryana. This is a big leap for Parmod, who battered his personal best by over 14 meters.

Ace Indian shot putter, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, in the meantime, successfully defended his title at this Indian Open meet with a throw of 19.82m. He ensured the gold medal on his fifth attempt. This was, however, way behind his personal best, but it was a good start for Toor in the outdoor season.

He will try to qualify for the Paris Olympics on the virtue of rankings, and for that, he needs a few good results in the coming events. Dhanveer Singh and Prabhkirpal Singh won the silver and bronze medals respectively to complete a podium sweep for Punjab in the shot put.

In women's shot put, Abha Khatua bettered her meet record to clinch the gold medal for Maharashtra. She touched this mark of 17.56m on her second attempt. Abha looking for a Paris Olympics quota will benefit from this result.

Meanwhile, former Asian junior champion, Bhartpreet Singh of Punjab broke the ten-year-old U20 national record in men's discus throw with a 58.18m throw on his final attempt to clinch the gold medal in the U20 men's discus throw event.

The women's javelin event went in the favour of Jyoti, with the Haryana thrower achieving a 51.55m throw, as Nidhi Rani added another gold to Haryana's medal tally in the women's discus throw event with a 53.57m effort.