TEHRAN – Mehdi Saberi of Iran won a silver medal at the shot put event of the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships on Friday.

He finished in second place with a throw of 19.98 meters.

The gold medal went to Indian shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor with 20.23 meters.

Kazakhstan's Ivan Ivanov seized the bronze with 19.87m.

The 25th edition of the Asian Athletics Championships started in Bangkok, Thailand on July 12 and will finish on July 16.

The competition serves as a qualification stage for athletes hoping to participate at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The previous edition that should have been held in Hangzhou, China, in May 2021 was cancelled for the COVID-19 pandemic.