Bhubaneswar, Jun 19 (PTI) Still grieving after his grandmother died a few days ago, India’s top shot putter Tajinder Pal Toor on Monday shattered his own Asian record with a huge throw of 21.77m on the concluding day of the National Inter-State Championships here to qualify for the World Championships.

The 28-year-old Toor, representing Punjab, bettered his own Asian record of 21.49m, which he had set in 2021 at Patiala, with his third-round throw of 21.77m — the ninth-longest distance in the world this season — at the Kalinga Stadium.

The World Championships qualifying mark is 21.40m.

He also qualified for the Asian Games for which the qualifying mark is 19m.

Toor’s stunning Asian record-setting performance came despite facing family tragedy as his grandmother had died on June 12.

“My training had gone as per plan and I was prepared to go past the 21m barrier. My next plan is to break the 22m barrier,” Toor said.

“But I was down mentally because my grandmother passed away last Monday and I am taking part despite that.” Toor, the reigning Asian Games gold medallist, began with a bang as he cleared the 20m mark straightway with his opening throw of 21.09m. His second throw was a foul before he produced the Asian record-breaking effort. He then had two fouls before passing the final attempt.

Toor’s Punjab statement Karanveer Singh finished second with a throw of 19.78m to also qualify for the Asian Games, while Jyothi Yarraji, who won gold medals in 100m and 100m hurdles, was named the best female athlete.

Star long jumper Murali Sreeshankar produced his fourth career-best effort of 8.29m to easily win gold.

The 24-year-old Sreeshankar, representing Kerala, achieved his best of the day in the second round after opening with 8.03m. His next four jumps were fouls.

Jeswin Aldrin of Tamil Nadu was second on Monday with a best effort of 7.98m. He also breached the Asian Games qualifying mark of 7.95m.

Sreeshankar, the third Indian Diamond League medal winner after securing a bronze in the Paris leg earlier this month, had jumped his personal best of 8.41m — and just one cm shy of Aldrin’s national record of 8.42m — during the qualification round on Sunday to qualify for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.

He had also produced jumps of 8.36m during the Federation Cup last year and 8.31m in a competition in Greece a month later.

Earlier this season, Sreeshankar had 8.29m in the USA in April but that had come with a wind assistance of +3.1m/s speed, not permissible for record purposes.

“I have won the gold but I am not happy with my performance, I would have jumped a longer distance,” he told

Source: PTI News