ModiSaheb

The gold her father never saw: Asmita Dey's journey from tragic loss to Commonwealth Gold. Her father, a cycle mechanic who earned barely ₹300 a day and raised his family in a mud house in a small village in Tripura, died of a brain stroke 7 months ago. On Friday, as the 23-year-old became the first Indian judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold in the women's 48kg category, the medal felt as much his as hers. “When my father passed away, I thought everything had finished because he was the one who supported me. I am from a very small village in Tripura. People there don't dream this big. But Papa always supported me.” - Asmita said, struggling to hold back tears after her historic triumph. The family lived in a modest mud house, but he never allowed financial hardship to become a hurdle in his daughter playing the sport she loved. When a knee injury threatened to derail her career, he took her to Delhi for treatment, bought medicines and did everything within his means to ensure she could return to the mat. "He brought me to Delhi for treatment and bought medicines," she recalled. His sudden death in December last left Asmita devastated. The man who had been her biggest supporter and constant source of reassurance was gone, and with him, she felt, went her dream of competing on the biggest stage. But while Asmita struggled to come to terms with the loss, her mother quietly stepped into the role her husband had left behind. Just 10 days after the funeral, she asked her daughter to return to training. “If I stop you today, your father will think I am shattering your dreams,” she told her. Asmita packed her bags and returned to the Sports Authority of India centre in Bhopal.