Tajinderpal Singh Toor has long stood as the face of Indian and Asian shot put. With multiple Asian titles and a national record of 21.77 meters (set in 2023), Toor’s career reflects both remarkable highs and persistent challenges.
Over the past eighteen months, from February 2024 to August 2025, his trajectory shows a revealing contrast: sustained success at the national and, to some extent, Asian levels, but significant struggles to meet the rising standards of the world’s elite. This period has included major events such as the Paris 2024 Olympics and the qualification phase for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. A closer look at Toor’s performances across these competitions offers insight into where he stands today and what it might take for him to close the gap with the world’s best.
Asian and National Levels: Still a Champion, But Below His Best
Between February 2024 and August 2025, Toor’s record at the Asian and national levels demonstrates why he remains one of Asia’s leading shot putters though the data also hints at troubling trends.
In February 2024, Toor clinched gold at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran with a throw of 19.72 meters. This not only secured him the title but also set a new Indian indoor record. Indoors, he has continued to prove that he is among the continent’s best, capable of delivering medal-winning performances.
Domestically, Toor maintained a firm grip on Indian competitions:
- March 2024: Won the Indian Open Throws with a throw of 18.74 meters.
- May 2024: Captured gold at the National Federation Senior Athletics Competition with 20.38 meters his season’s outdoor best for that year.
- July 2025: Won the Indian Open Athletics Meet with 19.51 meters.
- August 2025: Secured another title at the Indian Grand Prix 3 in Ludhiana with 18.93 meters.
While these results reaffirm his dominance on the national circuit, they also underline a key point: Toor is winning comfortably within India, yet his throws are falling well short of his personal best and Asia’s highest recent marks.
A pivotal moment came in May 2025 when Toor failed to qualify for the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, after managing only 18.57 meters at the Federation Cup below the 19.10-meter qualifying standard, he lost the Fed cup title in 2025 to Samardeep Singh Gill. Samardeep Singh beat the entry mark of 19.10m for the Asian championship with a distance of 19.34m.
For a two-time defending Asian champion, missing out on the continent’s premier outdoor competition was a significant blow. This underlines a decline in form and fitness that seems to have deepened in 2025.
Adding to the pressure, Toor’s long-standing Asian record of 21.77 meters (set in 2022 Interstates) was broken in June 2024 by Mohamed Daouda Tolo of Saudi Arabia with a 21.80m. The mark now stands higher than Toor’s recent performances, signaling that Asia’s competitive bar is rising beyond his current reach.
World Level: Injuries, Missed Finals, and the Growing Gap
Toor’s challenges at the world level have been starkest in the same period. His most visible international appearance was at the Paris 2024 Olympics in, where he threw 18.05m meters in qualification but finished 15th in his heat falling short of making the final. This mirrored his experience at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where injuries similarly hampered his performance. Toor, in fact, finished 29th and last in the qualification round at Paris Olympics.
The reasons for this underperformance are not merely tactical or technical. Recurring injuries, particularly to his shoulder, have repeatedly interrupted Toor’s preparation and ability to peak at critical moments. Reports noted that he struggled with injuries ahead of Paris 2024, just as he had in the previous Olympic cycle. For an event that demands explosive power and fine-tuned technique, even small physical setbacks can significantly impact performance.
Beyond the Olympics, the global benchmarks themselves paint an even clearer picture of the gap Toor faces:
- In 2024, the world’s top shot putters regularly surpassed 22 meters, with Joe Kovacs throwing 23.13 meters to top the global list.
- The 10th best throw in 2024 globally was 21.81 meters, higher than Toor’s personal best.
- The qualification standard for the 2025 World Championships is set at 21.40 meters. Toor’s best in the review period was 20.38 meters, leaving him well outside automatic qualification.
In 2025, the gap remains: Joe Kovacs led the world with 22.48 meters; even the 20th best mark globally was over 21 meters (21.12 meters by Uziel Muñoz). Against this backdrop, Toor’s winning throws in Indian events often between 18.9 and 19.5 meters are clearly insufficient to contend on the world stage.
Comparative Analysis: Why the Gap Exists
Toor’s dominance in India and parts of Asia contrasts sharply with his world-level struggles. Several factors explain this:
1. Injuries as a recurring barrier:
Consistently reported shoulder issues and other injuries have limited Toor’s ability to train at full intensity and build sustained form. The timing of these injuries often before or during major competitions has compounded their impact.
2. Rising competition, even within Asia:
The breaking of his Asian record by Tolo of Saudi Arabia shows that the Asian field itself is becoming stronger. Athletes in the region are throwing beyond Toor’s recent seasonal bests.
3. Decline from personal bests:
Toor set his national record of 21.77 meters in 2023. Since then, he has not come close to matching it. His best in the last eighteen months (20.38 meters) is more than a meter below, and his recent throws in 2025 have been further off the mark.
4. High global benchmarks:
The men’s shot put at the world level has seen a consistent rise, with multiple athletes able to throw over 22 meters. This means that even Toor’s career-best would likely be enough only for a final place—not necessarily a medal.
Toor remains India’s best male shot putter, and his continued victories at the national level confirm that he is still an elite thrower domestically. But the challenges of rejoining the global elite are clear. To narrow the gap, Toor may need to:
- Focus on long-term injury prevention and recovery strategies.
- Strategically target fewer competitions, prioritizing quality and peak performance at major meets.
- Rebuild training cycles aimed at consistently throwing above 21 meters not just occasional peaks.
While clocking 21.77 may seem increasingly difficult with age and fitness becoming factors, his champion instincts could still propel him to a historic third consecutive Asian Games gold a truly remarkable feat if achieved
Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s story over the last eighteen months is a portrait of a champion facing the natural arc of sporting challenges: rising standards, physical setbacks, and the struggle to stay at the top. His record shows continued excellence within India and parts of Asia, yet the data also reveals a growing performance gap at the world level. His best performance in the world level meet came in 2019 World Championships where he recorded 20.43m in qualifications and finished 18th
The next chapter of Toor’s career will likely depend on whether he can address the recurring injuries and find a path back toward his personal best distances. Only then can he hope to rejoin and perhaps challenge the world’s best in shot put. Until then, his legacy remains significant: as a national record holder, a multi-time Asian champion, and the athlete who raised the bar for Indian shot put.
The task now is to raise it once more.
