Shot putter Tajinderpal Toor focussed on surpassing 21.10m mark to qualify for Tokyo Olympics

Indian Shot putter Tajinderpal Toor is determined to better his personal best and achieve the qualification standard of 21.10 meters for the Tokyo Olympics.

The COVID-19 pandemic had made it impossible for Toor to participate in major international competitions. However, as the Games inches closer, it is now crunch time for the 2018 Asian Games champion.

With the race to qualify for the Olympics heating up, Toor will be eyeing a good showing at the Indian Grand Prix (IGP) IV, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru from 15 June.

Ahead of the crucial schedule, Toor’s coach Mohinder Singh Dhillon spoke about how the pandemic has hindered Toor's preparation. Dhillon then asserted that Toor is now laser-focused on qualifying for Tokyo. Dhillon told IANS:

“The pandemic disrupted our international competition and exposure plan. We were supposed to travel to Turkey last month but it was postponed as the Turkish government imposed a 15-day quarantine rule on Indians due to rising Covid-19 cases in India. Now our main focus is to crack the Tokyo Olympics qualification standard of 21.10m next month in Bengaluru."

Toor has a personal best of 20.92m, achieved at the 2019 Ranchi National Open Athletics Championships. The throw also helped better his own national record of 20.75m, which landed him a gold and a new games record at the Jakarta Asian Games.

"I am in good shape and progressing well" - Tajinderpal Toor

The big man from Punjab has been grappling with injuries to his throwing arm since last year. As a result, the 26-year old's progression of throws had dipped significantly over a period of time. Toor’s coach Dhillon, however, chooses to look at the bright side.

“We just had two months of good training to prepare for the domestic competition in March. Still we crossed the 20-metre mark at the Federation Cup Athletics Championships in Patiala."

Despite the injuries, Toor showed promise with his exploits at the Federation Cup in March. He powered his way to a gold with a threw of 20.58m off his third attempt.

In a recent interview to the New Indian Express, Tajinderpal Toor said his training is well on track. He also addressed his current state of fitness, saying he is 'in good shape'.

"We had our plans and we were training accordingly. We targetted the Indian GP early on and the Federation Cup. Our progression had been satisfactory.

"I was getting close to the qualifying standard. I need events because I tend to do better when competition is tough. A couple of international meets would do a world of good. My preparations are going on fine and I am in good shape. There is no niggle in my hand either.”