India’s long wait for a maiden Commonwealth Games medal in men’s shot put continued on Thursday at CWG 2026 as Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor finished fifth and Samardeep Singh Gill placed seventh in the final. India had never won a Commonwealth Games medal in the event, and the elusive podium finish remained out of reach despite fielding two finalists.
The gold went to Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who produced a decisive 21.07m effort in the fifth round to snatch the title from defending champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand. Walsh’s opening throw of 21.03m had looked good enough for gold before Enekwechi’s late surge. England’s Scott Lincoln claimed bronze with 20.70m.
How the men’s shot put final unfolded
Gill opened with a steady 19.56m, which kept him inside the top five after the first round. Walsh, however, immediately set the standard with a massive 21.03m. Lincoln (20.70m) and Enekwechi (19.60m) were also ahead of the Indian after the opening exchanges.
Toor, who had been regarded as India’s strongest medal hope after qualifying second overall, began with 20.06m to move into third place early in the contest. But the order shifted quickly in the second round as Gill improved marginally to 19.63m and Enekwechi surged past Toor with a 20.48m throw. Toor slipped back after managing 19.98m in that round.
Gill finally crossed the 20m mark in the third round with 20.03m, though it remained well below his personal and season’s best of 20.46m. The competition tightened further as South Africa’s Aiden Smith (20.31m) and New Zealand’s Nick Palmer (20.27m) also breached 20m, pushing both Indians down the standings.
Toor responded in the fourth round with 20.27m to climb back into the top five, while Gill fouled. With the field narrowing, the bottom four competitors were eliminated after three attempts.
Needing a big throw to challenge for the medals, Toor managed 20.26m in the fifth round and then signed off with 19.79m in his final attempt. The defining moment arrived soon after when Enekwechi unleashed a 21.07m heave in the fifth round, overtaking Walsh’s early-leading 21.03m to secure gold.
India’s two finalists had both advanced through qualification: Toor entered the final after qualifying second overall with 20.14m in Group A behind Walsh (21.03m), while Gill progressed as the fifth-best qualifier with 19.95m in Group B.
Kujur misses out on men’s 200m final
In track action, national record holder Animesh Kujur endured a disappointing run in the men’s 200m, finishing sixth in his heat with a time of 20.65 seconds to miss out on a place in the final. Kujur, who ran from lane one in the second semifinal, was well below his personal best and national record of 20.32 seconds.
Ghana’s Joseph Paul Amoah won the second semifinal in 20.24 seconds, edging Jamaica’s Jevaughn Powell, who clocked the same time in a photo finish. Botswana’s Prince Phaezel Selepe (20.31) was the other automatic qualifier from the second semi-final.
Although the top eight qualified overall, Kujur’s 20.65 was only the 10th-best time among the 16 athletes who had made the semi-finals, leaving him outside the final lineup.
