Sangrur

Two-time Asian Games gold medallist Tajinderpal Singh Toor produced a dominant display in the men’s shot put event at the fifth leg of the Indian Athletics Series in Sangrur on Saturday, registering a best throw of 19.97 metres.

According to the Athletics Federation of India, the 31-year-old Punjab athlete is preparing for the upcoming major domestic competition scheduled later this month in Ranchi.

Speaking after the event, Toor said his primary focus this season is to reach peak form during major international competitions. His season-best throw of 21.03m was achieved earlier in April during the Delhi leg of the Indian Athletics Series.

The Sangrur meet also served as a preparation event for two-time Olympian and Asian Games champion Annu Rani in the women’s javelin throw. The experienced thrower finished third with an effort of 55.78m.

In the women’s javelin competition, Shilpa Rani of Haryana secured first place with a throw of 57.65m, while Rashmi K from Andhra Pradesh finished second with 56.15m.

Sprint events saw strong performances from Harjit Singh of the Air Force and Fatema Begam of Tripura, who emerged as the fastest male and female athletes of the meet respectively. Fatema also clinched the women’s 200m title.

In the women’s 400m race, Haryana’s Kiran Pahal comfortably secured first place with a timing of 54.07 seconds.

Other notable performances included Rohit Yadav winning the men’s javelin throw with 78.82m, while Amitra Ghosh topped the men’s long jump event with a leap of 7.85m.

In middle-distance events, Vinod Kumar won the men’s 800m race, while Preeti Yadav finished first in the women’s 1500m event.

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The one-day competition featured athletes from across the country competing in track and field disciplines across senior and under-20 categories.