India is set for a major athletics campaign at the Asian Games 2026, with several athletes aiming to make an impact across track and field events. Among the biggest names is shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, who is targeting a historic third consecutive Asian Games gold medal.
Toor has already won gold in the men’s shot put at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. A third successive title would make him the first Indian track and field athlete to win gold at three consecutive Asian Games in the same event.
The 31-year-old has also produced encouraging performances during the 2026 season. His season-best throw reached 21.03m, while his personal best and Indian national record stands at 21.77m, achieved in 2023.
India’s athletics contingent is aiming for a strong medal haul at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The team has set a target of around 25 to 30 medals, after winning 29 athletics medals at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, distance runner Gulveer Singh and several other Indian athletes are also expected to be among the competitors attracting attention during the athletics programme. Sreeshankar enters the Games with a season-best Asian mark of 8.38m, according to the latest preview.
India’s athletics campaign is taking place without javelin star Neeraj Chopra, who has withdrawn from the Games because of injury. His absence adds further attention to the other members of India’s athletics squad.
For Toor, however, the focus remains firmly on the shot-put circle and the opportunity to create another chapter in Indian athletics history.