Asian Games: Tajinderpal Singh Toor misses gold hat-trick, wins silver in shot put

NEW DELHI: Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s quest for a historic hat-trick of gold medals at the Asian Games ended with a silver on Saturday as the defending champion finished second in the men’s shot put at Aichi-Nagoya.Toor, who won gold at the 2018 Jakarta and 2022 Hangzhou Games, had a best throw of 20.64 to win his third consecutive Asian Games medal. However, he failed to complete a hat-trick of gold medals after Iran’s Mohammadreza Tayebise threw a record 20.81m to claim the top prize.Tayebise’s winning effort also obliterated Toor’s previous Games record of 20.75m, which he set when he won gold in Jakarta in 2018.Saudi Arabian athlete Mohammed Tolu completed the podium with a throw of 20.48m and won the bronze.Asian Games full coverage | Medal Tally | Schedule

Toor adds another medal to his Asian Games collection

Although Toor missed out on a third straight gold, silver continued his remarkable consistency at the continental showpiece. He entered the competition as the two-time defending champion and one of India’s established athletics medal hopes.The 31-year-old’s performance of 20.64m was not enough to match Tayebise, who increased the games record by 6cm.Toora’s silver also added another medal to India’s growing haul in Aichi-Nagoya.

Two Indian sprinters reached the 200m final

India also kept their medal hopes alive in the women’s sprints. Harita Bhadra and Unnathi Bolland qualified for Sunday’s 200m final.Bhadra clocked 23.31 seconds to place second in her heat to secure automatic qualification, while Bolland advanced after finishing third in her heat in 23.33 seconds.In the 100m hurdles, Nandhini Kongan reached the final after finishing fourth in her heat in 13.48 seconds. Her qualification came after compatriot Jyothi Yarraji, the silver medalist from Hangzhou, failed to start her ride.