Coached to perfection

TEJINDER PAL SINGH TOOR, 24 , Shotputter, Moga, Punjab BECAUSE

The tall, burly players wowoed everyone by bagging a gold at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and set a new record in the shot put event.

SECRET OF MY SUCCESS

The love and support of my parents and coach, MS Dhillon, are responsible for my success. When you see your coach make personal sacrifices and work even harder than you to see you win, you are automatically driven to succeed.

I come from a family of farmers, and in the early days I was more interested in cricket. But looking at my physique, my father felt that I was more suited to shot put and I shifted to this discipline.

Also, I think I did well to train at Dharamsala instead of going abroad like many of my peers. I felt at home there and the weather too was perfect.

MY GOAL NEXT

I have set my sights on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I hope to do well there.

MY ROLE MODEL

My role model is my father who supported me and motivated me to do my best despite suffering from cancer. American shot-putter Micheal Reese Hoffa is also a huge inspiration.

BY THE WAY

I enjoy shooting, playing cricket, and watching movies in my leisure time.

SECOND OPINION

“Clinching a new medal and then making a new games record is not a small achievement. He has announced his arrival on the world stage with a bang and we expect many more podium finishes from him in the coming years.”

–Bahadur Singh, national chief coach athletics, also a two-times Asian

Games gold medal winner in shot put