KIUG: Meet Samardeep Gill - India's Breakout Shot Putter in 2025, Chasing Big Medal Dreams in 2026

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Jaipur, Dec 4: Standing inside the throwing circle at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Samardeep Singh Gill looked calm, focused, and completely at home on Thursday (December 4).

In a relatively weaker competition field, as has been the case in the ongoing Khelo India University Games 2025 as many athletes gave it a miss, a determined Samardeep went on breaking the meet record, created by him in the previous edition, in the very first throw by clearing a distance of 19.02 meters.

Minutes later, his second attempt soared to 19.42 metres, rewriting his own All India University (AIU) record and securing the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) 2025 men's shot put gold for KIIT. It was another emphatic performance in a year where everything seems to be falling into place for the rising star.

After breaking his own marks twice, at KIUG 2025, Samardeep, while speaking to myKhel, said: "It feels great. The earlier record was mine - 18.75m - and I broke it in the first throw. My second throw was even better. The feeling of breaking the record again is great."

But this performance is only a part of a bigger season he calls his best so far. "If I see 2025, it has been a great season. I have averaged 19 metres, and it feels like I can do much more in the future."

His personal best, 19.82m at Inter State Athletics Championships 2025 in Chennai, is close to the coveted 20m mark that marks the arrival of world-class throwers.

However, behind this season of consistency, where he has averaged above 19 metres and beaten two-time Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor thrice, lies a deeply personal and unconventional journey. Even Toor speaks highly of Gill and considers him of carrying the baton forward.

"Just try shot put": The Throw That Changed Everything

Today, at 6'5" with a commanding presence, Samardeep looks every bit the athlete built for power events. But shot put came to him almost unexpectedly, shaped by a chance suggestion and the gentle persistence of someone who saw potential he himself didn't recognise.

While speaking to myKhel the 24-year-old said, "I used to play cricket in juniors - under-14 and all. I was a fatty boy and had good height. One of my father's friends said, 'just come to the ground, I will make you fit.' Then he said, 'Try shot put. You are a fatty guy, you can do good.'"

At first, the young boy from a railway colony in Ratlam (MP) dismissed the idea. Cricket was his first love, and he imagined himself making it as a medium pacer and lower-order batter. He recalled, "I said I'm interested in cricket and will pursue that. But he told me, 'Just try. I'm not forcing you.'" That single attempt changed his life.

"I did the throw and did much better than expected from myself. My mind just struck - you can do this also. That's the part that changed me for shot put."

A Childhood Across India, But Roots in Athletics

Though born in Valsad, Gujarat, Samardeep travelled across because of his father's job as a Senior Bridge Railways Inspector. These frequent relocations brought new environments and schools, but also new opportunities.

His mother, originally from Kota, Rajasthan, was herself a former national-level discus thrower. "She used to play, but she stopped after marriage," he says. The athletic genes were always there. It just took time for them to find the right direction.

Samardeep now trains at the DSYW Academy in Bhopal, a centre that has produced some of India's newest athletic stars. Madhya Pradesh, once rarely associated with top-level athletics, is witnessing a resurgence. Dev Meena (pole vault national record holder) and KM Diksha (1500m national record holder), Bushra Khan (U20 Asian 3000m silver medallist) have been making national headlines, and Samardeep has emerged as one of its brightest prospects.

The Tajinderpal Toor Influence - Rivalry With Respect

For any Indian shot putter, Tajinderpal Singh Toor is the benchmark. For Samardeep, he is both a competitor and a mentor. With a sense of adulation for the two-time Asian Games champion from Moga (Punjab), Gill said, "He is a great senior for me. He teaches me even when we compete against each other. He has always motivates me."

Narrating the incident from the Inter State 2025, Samardeep revealed how Toor went out of the way to help him after the former had already won the gold medal with his personal best throw (of 19.82m).

"(In my last attempt) I had a good throw, almost 20 metres (at Inter State 2025), but it was a foul. I asked the officials to measure and check if I had breached the 20m-mark, to which the officials said they won't be able to measure it (as it was not a valid throw). I went to Tajinder paaji and asked him to help. He then told them to measure it and took the measuring tape himself, and it turned out to be a 20m-plus throw, and paaji gave a pat on my back."

Their battles this season have sharpened Samardeep's competitive edge. But more than the rivalry, it's the camaraderie that stands out - a senior guiding a young challenger rising fast.

Cricket Still Lives in Him

Asked if leaving cricket, his first love, was easy, the heavily-built athlete admits it was a hard decision but he still plays it with friends for recreational purposes. He further added, "It was hard. Cricket is a great sport and an individual one too - if you do great, you do great; if you don't, you don't. But I still play cricket every Sunday. I do love cricket."

His voice brightens when he talks about his cricket friends, many of whom have gone on to play at Ranji and international levels. "All my seniors are in MPCA and have played Ranji Trophy - Rakesh Thakur, Yash Dubey, Maan Dubey, Rajendra Singh Tindrawat. Shoaib Khan plays for Oman. I am glad to have such great seniors."

Family Support and a Coach Who Changed Everything

Samardeep credits his family for supporting him through every phase of his sporting life. But one person stands out in his shot put transformation - his coach at DSYW, Sandeep Singh.

"He has done a fantastic job on me because my technique was not that much good earlier. He has changed everything in my technique. All that I am able to do now, a big part of it is because of him."

With the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) calendar offering several competitive meets in the coming year, the duo has already charted a plan. "For the next year, me and my coach have decided our approach. We hope to do good in 2026, make India proud, nothing else."

A Future Aimed at International Podiums

At just 24, with a powerful build, rapidly improving technique, and exceptional consistency, Samardeep is on track to enter India's elite group of throwers.
The Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and global competitions are on the horizon-and the 20m mark beckons.

His ambition is simple: "I hope in 2026 we do something great, something that makes India proud." And judging by his trajectory, that moment may not be far away.