NEW DELHI: Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor and long jumper Jeswin Aldrin showcased their prowess by clinching gold medals on the third day of the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Despite their victories, both athletes fell short of their personal best performances and the qualifying marks for the Paris Olympics.
Toor, the Asian record holder representing Punjab, secured the top spot with a throw of 20.38m in the third round. However, this distance was below his personal best of 21.77m and the Olympics qualifying mark of 21.50m.
Samardeep Singh Gill from Madhya Pradesh claimed the second position with a throw of 18.93m, followed by Aryan Tyagi from Uttar Pradesh with a distance of 18.07m.
"I faced some problems today but I feel by the time of the National Inter-State Championships (June 27-30 in Panchkula) I will be able to qualify for the Olympics," the 29-year-old Toor said later.
In the long jump event, national record holder Jeswin Aldrin delivered a stellar performance with a jump of 7.99m in the final round, securing the gold medal.
Muhammed Anees Yahiya from Kerala claimed the silver with a jump of 7.83m, followed closely by Aditya Kumar Singh from Madhya Pradesh, who took the bronze with a jump of 7.81m.
In the women's pole vault event, national record holder Rosy Meena Paulraj lived up to expectations by winning the gold medal with a clearance of 4.05m. Despite her impressive performance, the 26-year-old fell short of her own national record of 4.21m set last year.
Baranica Elangovan, Paulraj's teammate from Tamil Nadu, secured the silver medal after clearing 4m, while Mariya Jaison from Kerala claimed the bronze with a jump of 3.90m.
(With PTI inputs)
