With their sheer grit and hard work, they are touching international waters
A track and field sport shot put involves ‘putting’ - which means pushing the heavy spherical ball rather than throwing it away –the shot—as far as possible, covering a longer distance. Just like any other sport, shot put also requires endurance besides strength and muscle power. And unlike most sports, the shot set needs the body to be a bit bulky, for it can throw the heavy spherical ball.
SourabhVij
New Delhi-based shot putter Vij rose to fame after winning his first medal at the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games. Post this win, Vij has had streaks of wins, all due to his hard work and dedication. Vij has won gold at the second Commonwealth Youth Games; in 2006, he won an Asian Junior silver medal and represented India at the World Junior Championships in Athletics. However, in 2010 at the Asian Indoor Games, he rose to further prominence for creating the national record-beating throw of 20.65 meters.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor
Coming from the strong state of Punjab, Toor changed his field of sport from cricket to shot put only to emerge as one of the best shot put athletes India could put on the world map. First, Toor created his personal best outdoor throw record of 20.40m at the Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships, followed by winning a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships with a throw of 19.77m. Then in 2018, Toor won gold at the 2018 Asian Games, breaking the Games record and the national record.
Om Prakash Singh Karhana
Hailing from Gurugram, Kahana started his sports journey as a basketball player but eventually shifted to shot put. Kahana holds the Indian national record in the shot put at 20.69 meters that he achieved in 2012. He even competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and reached the final.
Bahadur Singh Chouhan
Between 1973 and 1985, Chouhan won three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals at the Asian Games and Championships. Chouhan is a recipient of the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, and Dronacharya Award.
While these are just a few names, the other shot put throwers making the nation proud are MadanLal, Navpreet Singh Cheema with a personal best throw of 19.93 meters, and Jagraj Singh Mann gold medal and silver medal at the 1973 and 1975 Asian Championships in Athletics.
