Gold decoded: When coach Dhillon got Tejinderpal to shift focus from ailing father to Asiad

Had it not been for some prudent decision making by Tejinderpal Singh Toor's personal coach MS Dhillon, the star shot putter would have quit rather than shattering Asian Games record.

The 23-year-old athlete from Moga district in Punjab won a historic gold by hurling the iron ball to record-breaking distance of 20.75m.

When his father Karam Singh, who cajoled him into taking up shot put, was referred to an Army Hospital in New Delhi for chemotherapy, Tejinder wanted to focus on the treatment of his father.

Dhillon, who has been training Tejinder for the last five years, revealed that his ward could not give his best at the Commonwealth Games due to his father's cancer.

In fact Karam Singh's health deteriorated after Tejinder came back from Gold Coast.

"Prior to the Commonwealth Games, his father was serious but after he came back, he was more serious. His father was referred to Army Hospital in Delhi for chemotherapy. He was there for 10-15 days.

"On the second day, I called him and asked if you are training? He said: "I don't feel like practising and I am not getting time. I am losing my rhythm. I can't do it now. I want to quit."
"I told him 'you are not required there at the hospital, the doctors are doing their job. We started training but it was light training but he was not into it mentally. Then we went to Patiala and trained for one week."
"We did not come back for three months and only 15 days before the Games, we returned to Patiala to get acclimatized to the humid conditions, similar to Indonesia."
"So many people came forward to help him. Friends, relative and also an organization, headed by Sant Gurmeet Singh, backed him financially. They assured him for treatment of his father. All this helped him regroup and remain strong."
Dhillon also said that peaking at the right time is important to win a big meda
"When we came here, he was hitting 220 kg bench press. One day before the competition, I stopped him at 120kg. The body needs to tune up. He has never said no to training but I know his body strengths and prepare him accordingly."
"It's a misconception (advantage to left-handers). Both hands are same at the time of birth. The one you use more, becomes stronger than the other."