Chennai: The silver medal that Tamil Nadu weightlifter Muthupandi Raja won on Sunday probably belonged to his parents as much as to him. His years of miserable work as daily wage earners gave his son the opportunity to pursue a dream that found his defining moment in Glasgow. The medal was the culmination of a journey that almost came to an abrupt end. Wounds and health encounters done Raja he considered quitting the sport, but his family and coaches stood firmly behind him. He suffered an injury during the 2019 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and underwent surgery, keeping him out of action for almost two years. In 2022, he was diagnosed with jaundice and then underwent appendicitis surgery, which sidelined him for almost another year. It was during this difficult phase that he thought of leaving the sport. However, the forced break helped him complete a strength and conditioning course, in addition to learning sports science, which taught him how to deal with injuries. Raja’s elder brother Suresh, who was also a national-level weightlifter, told TOI that this was “just the beginning”. “This silver should be an inspiration for Raja and we want to see him compete in the Olympics,” Suresh told TOI. For Raja, it all started in a small gym in Sankaralingapuram village in Thoothukudi district, where he trained alongside Suresh. Seeing the physique of the brothers, the local coaches persuaded them to take up weights. Raja’s talent quickly shone through, earning him a place at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) training center in Mayiladuthurai within a year. But the brothers’ journeys eventually took different paths. Suresh was forced to quit the sport three years ago due to financial constraints. “Seeing my brother win a medal in Glasgow feels like winning the medal himself. What I couldn’t achieve, I did. The struggles have finally paid off,” said Suresh, who is now doing homework. “We didn’t know anything about weightlifting initially as we went to the gym for strength training. When we asked our parents if we could pursue weightlifting, they told us to do what we liked and they supported us with everything. My father bought us everything we needed by taking loans from the villagers, and the people in our village were equally supportive.”