Ranchi: Young Indian shot put sensation Samardeep Gill stunned two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor to claim the gold medal at the National Open Athletics Championships 2025 in Ranchi on Monday.
Competing at Birsa Munda Stadium, Gill produced a winning throw of 19.79m on his sixth and final attempt. Toor, who also saved his best for the last, managed 19.32m to settle for silver, while Ravi Kumar secured bronze with 18.23m, according to Olympics.com.
This marked the third consecutive defeat of former Asian record holder and Olympian Toor against the 24-year-old Gill.
Earlier, at the National Inter-State Championships 2025 in Chennai, Gill had taken gold with a personal best of 19.82m, relegating Toor (19.41m) to silver. At the Federation Cup in Kochi in April, Gill again topped the podium with 19.34m, with Toor (18.77m) finishing second. Notably, Toor, who holds the national record of 21.77m set in 2023, had an 8-0 head-to-head record before these three consecutive losses.
A total of 10 finals were contested on Monday. In the men’s 20km race walk, Nitin Gupta emerged victorious, while Munita Prajapati claimed the women’s title. In the women’s pole vault, Baranica Elangovan cleared 4.10m to win gold.
Organised by the Athletics Federation of India, the National Open Athletics Championships is one of the country’s four major annual outdoor track and field competitions. The 64th edition will conclude on Tuesday.
National Open Athletics Championships 2025 – Day 3 Results:
Men’s 20km race walk: 1. Nitin Gupta (1:24:22.98), 2. Paramjeet Bisht (1:25:10.43), 3. Amanjot Singh (1:26:27.14)
Women’s 20km race walk: 1. Munita Prajapati (1:36:14.34), 2. Kamla (1:37:42.12), 3. Sejal Anil Singh (1:38:32.88)
Men’s hammer throw: 1. Damneet Singh (68.71m), 2. Ashish Jakhar (66.37m), 3. Mohammad Shahban (65.59m)
Men’s high jump: 1. Rohit (2.18m), 2. Aadarsh Ram (2.18m), 3. Swadhin Kumar Majhi (2.14m)
Women’s 4x100m relay: 1. Railway Sports (45.09), 2. Karnataka (45.66), 3. Tamil Nadu G (45.76)
Women’s pole vault: 1. Baranica Elangovan (4.10m), 2. Mariya Jaison (4.05m), 3. Krishna Rachan (3.90m)
Men’s 4x100m relay: 1. Railway Sports H (39.44), 2. SSCB I (39.81), 3. Odisha F (39.89)
Women’s javelin throw: 1. Deepika (54.86m), 2. Karishma Sanil (53.85m), 3. Rashmi K (52.34m)
Men’s long jump: 1. Mohd Sazid (7.78m), 2. Sarun Payasingh (7.77m), 3. Bhupender Singh (7.58m)
Men’s shot put: 1. Samardeep Gill (19.79m), 2. Tajinderpal Singh Toor (19.32m), 3. Ravi Kumar (18.23m)
