Shot-putter Inderjeet Singh wins India's first-ever athletics gold at the World University Games

Twenty-seven-year-old shot-putter Inderjeet Singh created history on 9 July, when he won the country's first-ever gold medal in athletics at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea. After making a slow start, when he made a foul in his first attempt, Singh made significant improvements in his subsequent attempts to win the gold. Following his fifth attempt, he was in the second spot, with a best throw of 19.80m, but a final throw of 20.27m proved enough to clinch the top spot.

What are the World University Games?

The World University Games, or the Universiade, are organised by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) for university students around the world. The first edition of the games were held in 1959 in Turin, and it has been held biennially ever since. The Gwangju edition is the 28th edition. India, with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals, lies on the 20th spot at present.

Inderjeet Singh fact-file

Born in Bhiwani in 1988, Inderjeet Singh has been a prominent figure in the Indian athletics circuit in the last couple of years. In 2013, he won the silver medal at the Universiade in Kazan. A year later, he won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in Incheon. This has been the best year of his career so far, with two golds in major competitions. A little over two weeks back, he had stood on the podium at the Asian Athletics Championship, with a throw of 19.83m. The gold at the Gwangju Games now proves his credentials as a major medal contender for the Rio Olympics next year. He is currently a student of the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.