It was not easy to leave behind his father, battling cancer in a Punjab hospital, but Tejinder Pal Singh Toor remained strong in pursuit of his passion and all the sacrifices made, paid off today with an Asian Games gold medal.
Not only the 23-year-old from Moga won a gold, it came with a new Games record as he threw the iron ball to 20.75 m in his fifth attempt. It bettered a six-year old mark, set by Om Prakash Karhana (20.69m).
Toor said he did not think of winning gold and his target was to breach the 21m mark.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor , kar Diya opponents ko choor.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 25, 2018
Congratulations for the Gold and a Games Record throw of 20.75m . Very proud of your accomplishment.#AsianGames2018 pic.twitter.com/c9v5sJ5F3G
"I had just one aim in mind. I wanted to clear 21 metre. I did not think of gold. But I am happy with this. I was trying hard to break the national record for the last 2-3 years and it happened today, that too with a Meet record," Tejinder said after winning gold.
Tejinder said the feat means a lot to him and his family.
Moga (Punjab): Family of Tajinderpal Singh Toor celebrates after he won a gold medal in men's Shot Put at #AsianGames2018. pic.twitter.com/O2K88BbbA7
— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2018
"This medal is my biggest achievement because a lot of sacrifices have been made. For the last two years, my father (Karam Singh) has been battling with cancer. My family though never let me get distracted. They allowed me to chase my dream. A lot of sacrifices have been made by my family and friends and all those have paid today.
"My family never pressurized to attend my father in hospital and it was always my friends who took care of all the hospital formalities in my absence. I have not gone home much in this period since I was training in Dharamsala," the burly athlete, who trains with MS Dhillon, said.
"Now I will meet my dad but I will be there for only two days. I have to get ready for the next challenge. My coach M S Dhillon also needs to be credited for the hard work put in by him," he said.
Congratulations Tajinderpal Singh Toor on the stellar performance and a much deserved Gold. We are all so proud of you. pic.twitter.com/4Mb5Kuu12t
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) August 25, 2018
The Navy man, who hails from Moga in Punjab, took a victory lap wrapped in Tricolour, garnering support of a sizeable Indian crowd. “I didn’t bother about the rivals. I was focused on my target.
“For the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, I would be targetting 21-metre plus. I have my own plans for the big mission. For the last three years, I was No 1 in Asia,” said Tajinderpal, who had a second-place finish at the Asian Championships in Bhubneshwar last year.
“Even there, I could have won gold, but it rained and the conditions changed. It was slippery so I just missed out on gold.
He also said that for the last two years he was trying to break the national record back at home though it didn’t happen. “Finally, it happened here. It’s really wonderful. I am also thankful to the athletics federation, which extended full support to me throughout my training.”
"Tajinderpal Singh Toor" of my village won Gold-medal#PUNJAB #asiangames2018 #Moga #KhosaPando #INDIA pic.twitter.com/TZLkldmQ2v
— AMRIT SINGH đźđł (@aapkapunjab) August 25, 2018
“This gold medal is very important for me. My family, my coach my friends sacrificed a lot and helped me lot. Whenever my father fell ill my friends would rush him to the hospital,” said the strongly-built athlete.
Tajinderpal won’t be able to spend time with his family after going back home as he has to go for training again. “I will spend only a few days with family and father and thereafter I will return to training again.”
Congratulations to Tajinderpal Singh Toor for clinching Gold Medalđ„ in #ShotPut at the #AsianGames2018â We are so proud of you. pic.twitter.com/VmsEBcSFcy
— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) August 25, 2018
