Tajinderpal Singh Toor withdraws from national interstate athletics due to ankle pain – Firstpost

Tajinderpal Singh Toor was forced to miss the upcoming National Inter-State Athletics in Panchkula after suffering ankle pain. The Championships are the last qualifying event before the Paris Olympics.

Shot Putter Toor, who held the Asian record a few days ago, is on the verge of qualifying for the Summer Games through a world ranking quota. He is the reigning continental champion as well as an Asian Games gold medallist.

“I currently have mild pain in my ankle and my doctor has told me not to throw for three to four weeks,” Toor told PTI without specifying when the pain started.

The 29-year-old Asian record (21.77 m) was beaten on June 21 by the Saudi Mohamed Daouda Tolo during the event at the Estadio Vallehermoso in Madrid with an effort of 21.80 m.

It remains to be seen how the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) handles Toor’s absence given that it has made the event mandatory for everyone except Neeraj Chopra.

“Except Neeraj, all other athletes will have to participate in the inter-state national championships,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla had said during the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar.

The men’s shot put events at the Paris Olympics will take place on August 2 (qualifying) and August 3 (final).

As per AFI rules, all athletes are required to participate in the Interstate National Championships if they are to be selected for major multi-sport events like the Olympics, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games, unless the federation does not grant an exemption.

Toor has faced injury issues in recent years. He had surgery on his left wrist, his throwing arm, just after the Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021.

He injured his groin while winning gold at the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok, leading him to withdraw from the World Championships in Budapest the following month.

Toor did not reach the automatic qualification bar for the Paris Olympics of 21.50 m between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. He had thrown 21.77 m on June 19, 2023 but since then, he has not crossed the 20 m mark only three times.

Avinash Sable, another Asian Games gold medalist, who reached the automatic qualification mark for the Paris Olympics in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, is not in the list of competitors in his favorite event. He entered the 1,500m event instead.

Also missing from the list is Akshdeep Singh, national record holder for 20km walk, who also crossed the qualifying mark for the Paris Games. National record holder in women’s 20 km walk Priyanka Goswami, who also qualified for the Paris Olympics, is also not in the list.