Tajinderpal Singh Toor dedicates gold to cancer battling father

Tajinderpal Singh Toor on Saturday shattered Asian Games record as he threw the iron ball to 20.75-metre in his fifth attempt to bag a gold medal in the shotput event of the ongoing 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia. Toor broke the six-year-old record set by Om Prakash Karhana (20.69m) in a dream throw that was perfect in every sense of technical brilliance. However, it was not an easy ride to the top for the 23-year-old Toor as his father Karam Singh is battling cancer in a Punjab hospital.

ALSO READ: Asian Games Day 8 LIVE

The Indian pride from Moga said that he did not think of the gold as his sole target was to go past the 21-metre mark.

"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," Tajinderpal said after winning gold.

Toor said that it the achievement means a lot to his family as it all came at a cost. A cost full of sacrifices and a strong will to achieve his dream and passion.

ALSO READ: Mohammad Irfan creates T20 history with unplayable spell

It was not easy to leave behind his father, battling cancer in a Punjab hospital, but Tajinderpal Singh Toor remained strong in pursuit of his passion and all the sacrifices made, paid off on Saturday with an Asian Games gold medal.

"This medal is my biggest achievement because a lot of sacrifices have been made. For the last two years, my father 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 the 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 powerful athlete, said.

Toor is now set to take his game to the next level with more training and hardwork. He went on to thank his coach MS Dhillon for all the hard work.

"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 MS Dhillon also needs to be credited for the hard work put in by him," he said.