One of Preeti Pal's training partners was shot dead in May; after winning silver, she pays tribute

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When India's Preeti Pal won her second silver medal at the Asian Para Games on Wednesday, she remembered her 'younger brother' and training partner Chirag Tyagi, who passed away in May. Chirag's dream of winning a medal for India was cut short when another para athlete shot him dead in Ghaziabad after suspecting his role in getting him disqualified from competitions. Preeti has no doubt that Chirag would have finished on the podium in Nagoya, Japan, if he had been alive.

Preeti and Simran Sharma -- another top Indian sprinter with two gold medals at the ongoing Para Asian Games -- trained along with Chirag at the JLN Stadium in New Delhi. Sharma's husband, Gajendra Singh, coached them. Memories of Chirag came flooding back when the two sprinters stood on the podium.

"Within a short time, Chirag became our trusted training partner. He was like a younger brother, but he guided us. By watching training and competition videos, Chirag was aware of the latest developments from around the world. I still remember him telling me, "Preeti didi, ek din main bhi apki aur Simran didi ki tarah Paralympic aur Asian Games main medal jeetunga aur tirange ko rise hote dekhunga (One day I too will win medals for India in Paralympics and Asian Games and watch the Indian tricolour rise high). I dedicate the medals I won to Chirag. He was like a younger brother," Preeti told The Indian Express from Nagoya.

Wednesday was a great day for the two women sprinters as they added to their medal haul. Preeti, who has cerebral palsy, won her second silver medal of the Games in the women's 100m T35 final with a time of 13.98 seconds. On Tuesday, she was second in the T35 200m final. Simran, who has impaired vision, made a sweep of gold medals. She won gold in the 200m T12 final on Wednesday and, in less than 24 hours, won the women's 100m T12 title with a new Asian Para Games record time of 12.02 seconds.

Preeti recalls the trauma she experienced when news about Tyagi's death broke. Preeti was in Hashimpur, Uttar Pradesh, to meet her family when Simran called with the bad news.

"Initially, we thought it was an accident. Some hours later, we were told that Chirag was murdered by a fellow athlete. It was a tough phase for us. Chirag stayed in the room opposite us at the stadium. When we are at the stadium, we are reminded of him every day," Preeti said.

Chirag's father Manoj and mother Nisha, based in Basantpur Saitli in Modinagar, followed Preeti and Simran's progress at the Para Asian Games.

"Chirag's life revolved around running. He was motivated by seeing Simran and Preeti winning medals for India. He also told us they took good care of him. On seeing Preeti and Simran win medals, we got joy because we know how close he was to both of them," Chirag's mother Nisha told this paper.

Both Preeti and Simran are in touch with Chirag's family and also helped them financially after his death.

"Simran, Preeti and Gajender (coach) have helped the family financially and call us often to check how we are doing," Manoj, who works as a supervisor, said.

Chirag, who competes in the category for athletes with vision impairment, qualified for the Para Asian Games in both the men's 400m and 1500m (T12) by winning gold at the 8th Indian Open Para Athletics International Championship held at Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru in May. At the championship, Sharma too met the qualification standards for the Para Asiad.

Last year, when Preeti won the women's 100m T35 final at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, Tyagi cheered for her from the stands. "We had a deep bond," Preeti said. She regrets not tying rakhi on Chirag's wrist. "Winning medals gives me joy. I wish Chirag were with us to share the joy."