Tajinderpal Singh Toor is an Indian shot putter who holds the outdoor Asian and national record of 21.49m throw at the Tokyo Olympics.
Wiki/Biography
Tajinderpal Singh Toor was born on Sunday, 13 November 1994 (age 27 years; as of 2021) in Khosa Pando village in Moga district, Punjab. He attended the Malwa College of Nursing, Kotkapura to pursue a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
Physical Appearance
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight (approx.): 90 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 46 Inches, Waist: 38 Inches, Biceps: 16 Inches
Family
Parents & Siblings
Tajinderpal’s father’s name was Karam Singh, who was a farmer.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s father
His mother’s name is Prit Pal Kaur, who is a homemaker.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with his mother
He has a sister, Navdeep Kaur, who is settled in the US.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s sister
Wife & Children
Tajinderpal got married to Sandeep Dhillon Toor, who is a teacher, on 8 October 2021 after getting engaged on 17 February 2020.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with his wife on their wedding day
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with his fiance at their engagement ceremony
Religion/Religious Views
Tajinderpal follows Sikhism.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s Instagram post about his religious views
Career
Tajinderpal’s first international debut was at Almaty Kosanov Memorial Meet in Kazakhstan in June 2017. In the same year, he secured the second position with a throw of 19.77m in the Asian Athletics Championship.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor during the Asian Athletics Championship 2017
In 2018, he broke the record of 20.69m set by Om Prakash Karhana in 2012 by throwing the shot put at 20.75m in the Asian Games.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor during the Asian Games 2018
In 2019, Tajinderpal Singh Toor won a gold medal in the Asian championship.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor during the Asian championship 2019
In 2021, Tajinderpal qualified for the Olympics that took place in Tokyo by breaking his own record of 21.10m with a throw of 21.49m.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor during the Tokyo Olympics 2020
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- In 2016, he held the fifth position in the shot put tournament at the World University Games.
- In 2017, he won a silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships with a throw of 19.77.
- In 2018, he won a gold medal at the Asian Games with a throw of 20.75m.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor receiving a gold medal at the Asian Games 2018
- In 2019, he won a gold medal at the South Asian Games.
- In 2019, he was awarded the Arjuna Award.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor receives Arjuna Award
- He is Asia’s highest-ranked shot putter.
Car Collection
He owns a Brezza car.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor posing with his Brezza car
He owns a Ford car.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with his mother posing with his Ford car
He owns an Endeavour car.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor posing with his Endeavour car
Facts/Trivia
- He is often called by the name Tajinder Toor by his friends and family members.
- When Tajinderpal was a child, he wanted to play cricket professionally, but his father insisted he opt for shotput.
Tajinder Singh Toor (in black) with his father Karam Singh Toor (back)
- He is coached by Mohinder Singh Dhillon who started coaching him in 2013 at Jalandhar Sports College.
An old image of Tajinderpal Singh Toor with his coach
- In an interview, he said that during the initial days of his career, his expenses were very high as they included his protein, shoes and gym fee, which his family found difficult to handle. In another interview, his mother said that his diet was equal to two kids while he was growing up. She further said,
When he was young, he would often sleep with the ‘gola’ (shot) under his pillow. His day would start with eating paranthas and 10 eggs and finished too with eating.”
An old picture of Tajinderpal Singh Toor
- His father was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2015. During the initial stage of his treatment, his father recovered through surgery, but in 2018, his condition worsen. In an interview, he talked about his father’s condition and said,
At this stage, I know that my father is not going to live for too long. All I want to do right now is to win as many medals as I can, while he is still alive. I want to give him all the medals.”
- His father died in 2018 when Tajinder was on a tour to Asian Games. He won a gold medal at the Asian games and while he was coming back to his hometown, Moga, his father died. He could not show his medal to his father. Talking about the same, he said,
At first, I was in shock. I did not even think of such a scenario and could not believe it. Losing the leader of the house is the biggest loss for any family.”
Tajinderpal Singh Toor after the demise of his father
- After his father’s death, Tajinder got the gun licence, the gun his father left for him before he died, transferred to his name. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
He had a gun from the security point of view for the farm and that’s the only thing which he left for me.”
- In the 2018 Asian Games, before Tajinderpal’s throw, his coach MS Dhillon shouted at him saying ‘You die of shame.’ In an interview, he talked about this and said,
I wanted him to get angry. I told him ‘I have left my family for you and your father is fighting cancer. Think of us’. I think it worked.”
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with his coach during the Asian Games 2018
- In 2020, Tajinder got injured while throwing the shot put after which he got a fracture on his hand. Due to this, he got depressed and started thinking that he would not qualify for the Olympics.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor with an injury on his hand
- In 2022, before the qualifications round, he suffered an injury to his groin muscle. As a consequence, he was removed from the squad for Commonwealth Games 2022. In an interview, he talked about his injury and said,
Today was a hard day for me. I couldn’t perform as I intended. Injuries have been continuously encompassing me. Last year, it was my wrist and now it’s my thigh. Just four days before the competition my groin muscle was pulled and it greatly affected my performance.”
- He is an avid dog lover and often posts pictures of them on social media.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor posing with dogs