Despite missing out on a hat-trick of gold medals in the men’s shot put, there was a takeaway for Tajinderpal Singh Toor. He dedicated his silver medal to his 10-month-old daughter Rabab Kaur Toor. Rabab, Toor said, was his lucky charm. Her birth took away the pain he and his wife experienced after she had two miscarriages. Their dream of becoming parents lay shattered before the little one came into their lives last November.

“This medal is for my daughter Rabab Kaur Toor. My wife lost two babies during her pregnancy, in 2022 and in 2024. Rabab has been the lucky mascot for me,” Toor told from Nagoya.

Toor, 31, won silver with a best throw of 20.64m. But it was a bittersweet day as he saw his Asian Games record of 20.75 metres surpassed by Iran’s Mohammadreza Tayebise, who won gold with 20.81 metres. When it was confirmed that he would finish second, Toor folded his hands in prayer before posing for pictures while holding the Tricolour aloft.

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Saturday was also a comeback of sorts for Toor, who seemed to have gone off the boil when he was third in the Inter-State National Championships in Bhubaneswar earlier this year. At the Inter-State, he finished behind Karamveer Singh and Samardeep Gill, but when it mattered on the big day, Toor finished on the podium. Karamveer, the only other Indian in the shot put final, finished 10th.

“People had started talking after my performance at the Inter-State. This medal is an answer to all those who questioned my ability. Winning a third Asian Games medal is a special feeling,” Toor, who hails from Khosa Pando village in Moga district, said.

In 2018, Toor won the Asian Games title in Jakarta with a Games-record 20.75m. Toor defended his crown in Hangzhou with a throw of 20.36m. This year, Toor crossed 20 metres nine times but has only one 21-metre-plus throw. For an athlete who has suffered injury after injury, his third Asian Games medal was a mini-miracle. Before the Commonwealth Games, he suffered a Grade-One tear in his calf.

“Prior to CWG, I suffered a calf strain, and post the CWG, the MRI revealed that it was a Grade-One tear. I manage by adjusting technique. My coach MS Dhillon tells me never to stop,” Toor said.

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Competing with injuries and pain has been part and parcel of Toor’s career.

“My career and injuries go together. Prior to the Tokyo Olympics, I had suffered a groin injury. When I set the Asian Games record, I was once again in pain, and when I won the gold in Asian Championships in Bangkok, I had a muscle tear in my calf. Prior to Hangzhou, I again had an injury in my knee. Six months prior to Paris, I had an ankle injury.”

Toor’s personal best of 21.77 metres was set in 2023. However, he believes he can cross 22 metres. “I know I have a 22m throw in me.”