Tejinderpal Singh Toor, India’s gold winner at Asian Games, wanted to become a cricketer

Like an average Indian youngster who wants to pursue a sport, Tejinderpal Singh Toor also aspired to become a cricketer but destiny had different plans for him. The 23-year-old giant of a man from Punjab made his nation proud on Saturday, August 25, by winning a gold in the shot put in Asian Games 2018, opening India’s medal account in athletics in the competition.

Right through the competition, Tejinderpal was in the league of his own, while most of his competitors also struggled to match his first throw, he bettered it. He threw the iron ball to a distance of 20.75 metres to claim the top medal and also set the Games a National Record in the process. The previous national record was held by Om Prakash Karhana who covered a distance of 20.69 metres.

From a modest background to Asia’s No.1

Originating from a humble farmers’ family in Moga, Punjab, Tejinderpal took up shot put on his father’s insistence and the sport did not disappoint him. Ranked as Asia’s No.1 shot putter, the robust man has won scores of medals in Federation Cup, inter-state competitions and open national meets.

Shot put was not something unknown in Tejinderpal’s family since his uncle was already playing the game. He too followed it though it was never easy for him to establish himself as a professional shot putter owing to his family’s modest economic status. But when there is a will, there is a way and Tejinderpal just followed that golden rule.

“The thing about shot put is, as you go up the levels, your expenses also gradually rise. You need better food supplements, you need to go to a better gym, need better shoes,” Sportskeeda quoted him as saying.

Tejinderpal first stormed into the limelight in 2017 when he bagged silver at the Asian Championship. This year, he won gold at the 57th National Inter-State athletics championships though he fell short of qualifying for the World Championships in London by a metre. At the Commonwealth Games, he ended sixth in the qualifiers and finished eighth in the finals.

Ever since Tejinderpal came to learn about his father is suffering from cancer, he is all the more charged up to win more medals and laurels for his ailing father who had inspired him to become what he is today.

For all the latest cricket news and other updates follow CricTracker.