CWG 2026: Animesh Kujur storms into 200m semis with season's best

Indian athletes had a strong showing at the Commonwealth Games 2026, with sprinter Animesh Kujur advancing to the men's 200m semifinals. Shot putters Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill also secured their places in the final.

Kujur storms into 200m semifinals

Indian athletes enjoyed a productive outing in track and field at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Tuesday, with national record holder Animesh Kujur storming into the men's 200m semifinals, while shot putters Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill booked their places in the final, according to ESPN.

Kujur produced an impressive performance in Heat 4 of the men's 200m, clocking a season's best time of 20.46 seconds to win his race. With only the 16 fastest athletes across 10 heats progressing to the semifinals, the Indian sprinter had to wait for the remaining heats to conclude before his qualification was confirmed. After all the heats were completed, Kujur advanced to the semifinals in seventh place overall, keeping India's hopes alive in the sprint event. The national record holder, whose personal best stands at 20.32 seconds, will now look to build on his strong form in the semifinals, according to ESPN.

Toor, Gill book shot put final spots

In the men's shot put qualification, both Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill progressed comfortably to the final. Toor, competing in Group A, opened with a throw of 19.93m before improving to 20.14m on his second attempt, surpassing the automatic qualification mark of 20m. His effort earned him second place overall in the qualifying round. Gill, meanwhile, registered throws of 19.95m and 19.75m to finish fifth overall, which was enough to secure his place in the final. New Zealand's Nick Walsh topped the qualification standings with a best throw of 21.03m and will enter the final as the favourite for the gold medal.

With Kujur advancing in the sprints and both Indian shot putters reaching the final, India continued its encouraging run in athletics at the Commonwealth Games. (ANI)

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