Glasgow, July 29: India's medal hopes in athletics remained firmly alive at the Commonwealth Games as shot put stalwarts Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Sahib Singh Gill comfortably progressed to the men's shot put final, while national record holder Animesh Kujur produced a season-best run to qualify for the men's 200m semifinals.
While the experienced shot put duo lived up to expectations without much fuss, Kujur stole the show on the track by winning his opening-round heat ahead of reigning Commonwealth Games 100m champion Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon.
Toor and Gill Advance Comfortably
National record holder Toor needed just two throws to seal his place in Thursday's final. Competing in Qualification Group A, the Asian Games gold medallist opened with a throw of 19.93m, narrowly missing
the automatic qualification mark of 20 metres. He made no mistake on his second attempt, registering 20.14m to book his place in the medal round before opting out of his final throw.
Gill, competing in Group B, came agonisingly close to the automatic qualification distance with an opening effort of 19.95m.
His second attempt measured 19.75m, while his third resulted in a foul. Although he narrowly missed the direct qualification mark, his opening effort was enough to see him qualify comfortably among the 12 best performers across both groups.
Gill eventually finished fifth overall, ensuring India will have two representatives in the men's shot put final.
Kujur Announces Himself
If qualification was routine for the shot putters, Animesh Kujur made a statement. The 23-year-old Odisha sprinter clocked a season-best 20.46 seconds to win Heat 4 of the men's 200m first round, finishing ahead of one of the biggest names in the competition.
His heat included Cameroon's Emmanuel Eseme, who had already claimed the 100m gold medal earlier in the Games. Kujur held his nerve to cross the line first, producing one of the standout performances by an Indian sprinter in Glasgow.
Across the 10 heats, the 16 fastest athletes progressed to the semifinals, with Kujur advancing as the seventh-fastest qualifier overall.
The run marked another encouraging step in what has been a remarkable season for India's fastest 200m runner, who had already rewritten the national record earlier this year.
Coach Martin Owens Hails Performance
Martin Owens, Head Coach at the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre, where Kujur trains, praised the Indian's maturity and composure.
"It was a quality display from Animesh today. A fine performance by him as I thought it would take a quicker time to qualify for the semis. He is in very good shape and we are looking forward to the semis tomorrow night. "
Owens believes defeating the reigning Commonwealth 100m champion will provide a significant confidence boost.
"It will be very tough as it is a very high-quality field. Animesh will get a lot of confidence by beating the 100m champion from this edition today. It is another feather in his cap and I am pleased with his display. It is good to check the first box but we're now looking forward to the next stage. "
Tough Challenge Awaits
Despite his impressive qualification, Kujur faces an enormous task in the semifinals. The field includes multiple sub-20-second sprinters and experienced international finalists, making it arguably one of the strongest sprint events of the Games.
For the Asian Athletics Championships bronze medallist, simply repeating his season best may not be enough. To secure one of the coveted places in the final, Kujur will likely need to better his own national record and potentially dip below the elusive 20-second barrier-a feat no Indian has achieved under legal wind conditions.
Should he manage that, it would not only earn him a place in the Commonwealth Games final but also mark another historic milestone for Indian sprinting.
Mixed Day for India Elsewhere
The morning session, however, brought disappointment in other disciplines. Weightlifter Sanjana endured a frustrating campaign in the women's 77kg category after recording a Did Not Finish (DNF).
There was little joy in the swimming pool either as Olympian Sajan Prakash and compatriot Aneesh S. Gowda failed to reach the men's 200m freestyle final. Prakash finished fifth in his heat and 20th overall with 1:51.99, while Aneesh clocked 1:51.64 to finish 18th overall.
India did have positive news in para swimming, with Suyash Narayan Jadhav and Chaitanya Vishwas Kulkarni progressing to the men's 50m freestyle S7 event.
With Toor and Gill now eyeing medals in the shot put final and Kujur preparing for the biggest race of his career, India will hope the athletics arena continues to deliver more memorable moments in Glasgow.
