Who are Tajinderpal Singh Toor’s parents? Know all about his family

Tajinderpal Singh Toor

Indian shot putter, Tajinderpal Singh Toor will be representing the country in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. He has already brought several laurels home and will try to grab the Olympic medal.

The Asian Games gold medallist, Toor announced his arrival on the international circuit with his silver at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar. He missed out on the gold medal by a narrow margin of 0.3m. However, the star returned to the same tournament in 2019 in Doha, making no mistake and bagging the well-deserved top spot.

The 26-year-old qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with his national-record breaking throw of 21.49m at the Indian Grand Prix 4 in Patiala. Toor may be a shot put icon today but here’s taking a look at his biggest supporters: his parents.

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Tajinderpal Singh Toor parents suppot made him what he’s today

Tejinder Pal Singh Toor qualified for the Tokyo Olympics — Tejinder Pal Singh Toor

Indian shot putter, Tajinderpal Singh Toor has established his status of being a determined and lethal competition in shotput today but the young star was once crazy about a different sport. The star was born in a family of farmers, Karam Singh and Prit Pal Kaur, Khosa Pando village, Moga district of Punjab. Tajinderpal Singh Toor initially played cricket but it was on his father’s insistence that he switched to shot put.

His father, Karam Singh, was a local tug-of-war champion who was called a ‘hero’. It was out of his passion for physical sports that he encouraged his son to take up shotput, an event in which Toor went on to earn immense glory.

According to his mother, Prit Pal Kaur, Toor’s diet while growing up equaled that of two children. “When he was young, he would often sleep with the ‘gola’ (shot) under his pillow. His day would start with eating paranthas and 10 eggs and finished too with eating. They would call his father ‘hero’. Aaj medal jeet ke asli hero tan Tejinder hi ban gaya,” Indian Express quoted her in 2018.

In 2012, unfortunate news hit the family when his father was diagnosed with skin cancer. In 2018, his failing health nearly forced Tajinderpal Singh Toor to quit the sport even though he was returning from the Commonwealth Games. It was on his family and coach’s insistence that decided to continue. The shot-putter went on to break the Asian Games record as his father watched him from his village.

“Jinna zor main landa si rassa kassi ch, Tejinder ne tan aaj 6 bandeyan da zor lagaa ta (The amount of effort I put in tug-of-war, Tajinder put in six times that effort today). Once I was selected for an international NRI tournament in Thailand, but the tour was cancelled. Today, Tejinder made the Indian flag rise in the same region in a sports event. What more can I ask?” Karam Singh said. “Since the time I got cancer, his only concern has been my health and I know that he must be thinking about my health even today,” he added.

An inspiring rise of Tajinderpal Singh Toor despite lot of struggles

Indian star, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, has gone through several ups and downs in his journey. When he was returning from the 2018 Asian Games, he received the news of his father’s demise after battling cancer for years. However, Toor kept working hard and has now qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. The icon now wants to win an Olympic medal and dedicate it to his father.

“Daddy ka sapna tha, Teju Olympics jaye. Gale laga lete mujhe gar aaj ye wo ye news sunte (it was my father’s dream; he wo ye news sunte (it was my father’s dream; he would have hugged me after hearing about my Olympic qualification news). Whatever I am today, it is because of him. He always wanted to see me in an Olympic jersey.

I dedicate this Olympic berth to my father Wish he was here to see me. I want to win an Olympic medal and dedicate it to my father. I am sure he must be watching me and must be happy,” Tajinderpal Singh Toor told Times of India after his Tokyo qualification. He will be going to the biggest stage in the world with a promise.

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