CWG: Sensational Animesh Kujur marches into 200m semis, Toor-Gill reach shot put final
India enjoyed another encouraging day on the track and in the field at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as sprinter Animesh Kujur stormed into the men’s 200m semi-finals with a season’s best effort, while experienced shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and rising star Samardeep Singh Gill also progressed to the final.
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After India’s fastest man Gurindervir Singh endured a disappointing outing in the men’s 100m earlier in the Games, Kujur stepped up when it mattered. The 23-year-old produced a brilliant run in Round 1, clocking a season’s best 20.46 seconds to finish atop Heat 4. By the end of all the heats, the Indian sprinter ranked seventh overall, comfortably securing his place in the semi-finals and keeping India’s hopes alive in the sprint events.
The performance was another reminder of Kujur’s rapid progress over the past year. Having established himself as one of India’s premier sprinters, he showed composure against a strong field and now heads into the semi-finals with growing confidence.
TOOR LEADS INDIA’S DOUBLE DELIGHT IN SHOT PUT
India also celebrated a double qualification in the men’s shot put. National record holder Tajinderpal Singh Toor achieved automatic qualification after clearing the 20m mark with his second throw.
Toor opened with an effort of 19.93m before improving to 20.14m, comfortably surpassing the qualifying standard. His throw was the second-best overall behind defending Commonwealth Games champion Tom Walsh of New Zealand, who topped the qualification with 21.03m. Confident of his place in the final, Toor opted against taking his third attempt.
Samardeep Singh Gill, meanwhile, narrowly missed the automatic qualifying mark but still advanced after finishing among the top 12 performers. The 25-year-old registered 19.95m with his opening throw, followed by 19.75m before fouling his final attempt. His best effort earned him fifth place overall across the two qualification groups.
With Kujur carrying India’s sprint challenge forward and both Toor and Gill reaching the shot put final, the Indian contingent will hope to convert Wednesday’s strong qualification performances into medals over the coming days in Glasgow.
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