Shot putter Tajinderpal eyes history as athletics squad targets 20-plus medals

Tajinderpal Singh Toor might have missed a chance to carry the Indian flag at the opening ceremony, but the star shot-putter remains a favourite to raise it for the third consecutive time at the Asian Games as the track and field events kick off at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya on Thursday (September 23, 2026).

While athletics icon Neeraj Chopra had a premature end to his season due to injury, Tajinderpal is certain to finish on top. A two-time defending champion, the 31-year-old hopes to complete his hat trick of gold medals and enter the history books as the first-ever Indian track and field athlete to stand on top of the podium three times in a row in a single event.

In the absence of Neeraj, Rohit Yadav and Yashvir will look to ensure an Indian among the javelin medallists. Both have crossed 85m this season, although the gold is likely to go to Sri Lankan Rumesh Pathirage, who has been the man to beat this year with three throws beyond 90m and tops the season’s World list.

Among those looking to improve the colour of their medals from the previous edition are long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and Gulveer Singh (10,000m), who won silver and bronze in their respective events. Sreeshankar has consistently jumped over 8m this year, while Gulveer has also been entered in the 1,500m and 5,000m, although it remains to be seen if he will participate in all three.

Defending champion steeplechaser Avinash Sable, returning from a long injury layoff, proved he was ready to compete again with an impressive outing at the Indian Athletics Final Series earlier this month.

National record holder decathlete Tejaswin Shankar will be eager to better his silver but will have to contend with local favourite Yuma Maruyama, who leads the Asian rankings with 8,321 points this season and won bronze last time around.

Quarter-miler Vishal T.K. and 3000m steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary can surprise the field on their day while triple jumper Praveen Chithravel and 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji have been struggling with niggles. Long jumper Ancy Sojan, the Asian leader at the moment, will also be hoping to carry her momentum to clinch gold.

The 75-member strong contingent is expected to shoulder the responsibility of propelling India’s medal tally and is targeting at least 25 podium finishes. India won 29 in the last edition, but injuries and inconsistent form have tempered expectations. 

India’s hunt will begin with Asha Ilango and Niharika Vashisht in the triple jump on Thursday (September 23, 2026), although a medal looks tough. Also in action on Thursday will be Seema in the 10,000m and the 4x400m mixed relay team, the latter expected to bring home the first medal from athletics.