Tajinderpal Singh's father passes away

Shot putter Tajinder had dedicated his Asian Games gold medal to his ailing father.

Tajinderpal Singh opened India's account in athletics at the Asian Games with a gold medal.

Asian Games gold-medallist Tajinderpal Singh Toor's father, who was battling cancer for a large part of the last two years, passed away on Monday.

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According to news reports, Tajinder received the heart-breaking news of his father's demise as he had left for his hometown Moga (Punjab) after landing in Delhi airport from Jakarta.

After having won a gold in shot put with a Games and a national record throw of 20.75m, Tajinder had dedicated the medal to his ailing father.

“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,” the 23-year-old said.

“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.”