Punjab’s Harjinder Kaur, the daughter of a marginal farmer from Mehas village in Nabha, has won a silver medal in the women’s 69 kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Tuesday, adding to the bronze medal she secured at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.Just hours before stepping onto the competition platform, the 29-year-old called her brother, Pritpal Singh, expressing complete confidence in her preparation.“She told me she was fit and certain of winning either a gold or a silver medal,” recalled Pritpal. “Her confidence proved right as she returned home with a podium finish.” Harjinder was recently honoured with the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award.Recalling the family’s journey, Pritpal said, “There was a time when people criticised our family for encouraging our daughter to pursue sports, but we never paid attention to such remarks.”The family’s financial condition was not good. Arranging money for Harjinder’s training, diet and travel to competitions was a constant challenge. Recognising her passion and talent, her father, Sahib Singh, took loans to ensure she could continue chasing her dream.Her childhood was marked by struggle. Every day, Harjinder cycled nearly five kilometres from Mehas village to Nabha to attend school.“I vividly remember that her cycle would often get punctured, but she would quietly push it home instead of complaining, because she understood the financial difficulties we were facing,” her father Sahib Singh recalled.Besides attending school, Harjinder used to help her father with other chores in fields, including cutting straw using a chaff machine to feed the cattle. This activity Harjinder always believed helped her build strong arms.According to Pritpal, Harjinder’s sporting journey began while she was studying in Class XI. She initially played kabaddi before her first coach, Paramjit Sharma, noticed her strength and encouraged her to take up tug of war. She later switched to weightlifting, a decision that transformed her sporting career.The transition, however, was far from easy. At one stage, Harjinder considered quitting this particular sport, worried that weightlifting would change her physique and make her body look different.“My wife and I told her not to think that way. We encouraged her to focus on building her future through the sport she loved,” said Sahib Singh.Despite the family’s financial struggles, education remained a priority. “Our father always told us to study well, regardless of our financial condition. Even when money was very less, our parents assured us they would do everything possible to support our education and dreams,” said Pritpal.Harjinder’s passion for strength sports is inherited. In his younger days, Sahib Singh himself participated in village level weightlifting competitions.Today, Harjinder is employed with the Income Tax Department, while her brother is also earning. After years of hardship, the family has finally emerged from financial distress.An emotional Sahib Singh summed it up with a smile: “Hun koi fikar nai mainu” (Now I have no worries).