'My father, Karam Singh, has been suffering from cancer for the last two years. But I get plenty of support from him, even when he is hospitalised,' Tajinderpal said
Jakarta: Tajinderpal Singh Toor opened India’s account in athletics in style as he clinched shot put gold with a record throw at the ongoing Asian Games in Indonesia.
It was a memorable Saturday for the 23-year-old Tajinderpal as he set a new Games record with a throw of 20.75m.
China’s Yang Liu (19.52m) and Ivan Ivanov (19.40m) of Kazakhstan took silver and bronze respectively.
Overall, this was India’s seventh gold in this edition of the continent’s multi-sport showpiece extravaganza.
He started off with a throw of 19.15m. The record effort came in the fourth attempt. It was also a new national record, bettering 20.69m from Om Prakash Karhana in 2012.
His sequence of six throws were 19.96m, 19.15m, foul, 19.96, 20.75 and 20.0.
Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Addul Majeed Al-Hebshi had owned the earlier Games record with a throw of 20.57m in 2010 at Guangzhou.
I am not able to reply to everyone's messages so though this video I want to thank everyone for your wishes and support 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ICqYpRv0cN
— Toor Tajinder Singh (@Tajinder_Singh3)Tajinderpal, who played cricket as a child and later switched to shot put due to his father Karam Singh, dedicated the gold to him.
The Punjab athlete said his father is battling cancer from the past two years.
“My father, Karam Singh, has been suffering from cancer for the last two years. But I get plenty of support from him, even when he is hospitalised,” Tajinderpal said after his record-breaking effort.
“His life has always been full of sacrifices but he always tells me to focus only on sport, this is the result of that. This gold means a lot to me and our family, I dedicate it to my dad,” he added.
So far, India has 29 medals with seven gold, five silver and 17 bronze. The nation is in eighth place.
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