Asian Games 2026: Tajinderpal Toor wins shot put silver

Tajinderpal Singh Toor won silver in the men’s shot put at the Asian Games on Saturday with a best effort of 20.64m, adding another medal to his record at the continental event. India also earned a bronze through Prachi Choudhary in the women’s 400m, while Animesh Kujur, Gulveer Singh, Yoonus Shah, Harita Bhadra, Unnathi Aiyappa and Nandhini progressed in their respective track events.

Toor entered the competition as the defending champion after winning gold at the previous two Asian Games editions. His 20.64m throw was enough for second place, but Iran’s Mohammadreza Tayebiseh won gold with a new Games record of 20.81m. Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Tolu finished third with 20.48m.

Tayebiseh’s winning mark also surpassed the previous Asian Games record of 20.75m, which had been set by Toor in 2018. The silver means Toor remains on the podium after his two successive titles, although his bid for a third straight gold medal fell short by 0.17m.

Toor takes silver as Prachi reaches 400m podium

Prachi Choudhary delivered India’s other medal of the day in the women’s 400m final, taking bronze in 53.21 seconds. Bahrain’s Salwa Naser won gold in a Games-record 49.20 seconds, while Iran’s Zahra Zarei Manoujan claimed silver in 52.38 seconds.

Kiran Pahal, the other Indian in the women’s 400m final, placed fifth with a time of 53.41 seconds. Prachi said the individual medal was especially significant after suggestions that her medal prospects were limited to relay competition.

“This is a very special medal for me because people kept on telling me that I can win medals only in relays. Today I have proved that I can also win medal in individual 400m also, that too in Asian Games,” Prachi said.

She also referred to the rainy conditions, saying they were not unfamiliar after training and competing in rain previously. Prachi now has her sights set on the 4x400m relay.

On the track, Animesh Kujur booked a place in the men’s 200m final by finishing second in his semifinal heat in 20.81 seconds. He was ranked eighth overall among the finalists after the semifinal round.

India will have two runners in the men’s 1500m final. Gulveer Singh qualified after clocking 3:45.79 for sixth place in his heat, while Yoonus Shah advanced with a fifth-place finish in 3:45.77. Japan’s Kazuto Iizawa led the heat in 3:45.22.

More Indian qualifiers, but injury setbacks follow

Harita Bhadra and Unnathi Aiyappa both earned direct qualification for the women’s 200m final. Harita was second in Heat 2 with 23.31 seconds and Unnathi followed in third with 23.33 seconds. Nandhini also qualified for the women’s 100m hurdles.

There were setbacks for two Indian athletes. National record holder Praveen Chithravel retired from the men’s triple jump final after appearing to experience lower-leg discomfort. Jyothi Yarraji withdrew from her women’s 100m hurdles heat after feeling pain during her warm-up.

An Athletics Federation of India official said Yarraji felt pain after completing her warm-up. She had returned to competition this year after surgery in July 2025 for an ACL tear in her right knee. The day therefore brought medals and final qualifications for India, alongside withdrawals that altered its hurdles and triple-jump challenge.