Rashdeep Kaur has been selected for the 4×400 relay team for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow
17 June, 2026 – Jalandhar : When Rashdeep Kaur, who is now set to represent India at the Commonwealth Games (CWG), was just eight years old, her father Gurlal Singh made a decision that many in his village questioned. A marginal farmer with only two acres of land at Gandhuan village in Sangrur district, he began taking his daughter to the local ground after noticing her talent during an athletics meet at school.
The move invited curious stares and unwanted advice. Villagers often asked why he was spending so much time and effort taking a young girl to training sessions where “boys also played”. But Gurlal Singh refused to listen. Instead, he started taking his younger daughters Sukhveer and Ranjeet Kaur as well to the ground.
Years later, at 23, Rashdeep Kaur has been selected for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow, qualifying in the 4x400m relay race. Her two younger sisters have also carved their own path in sports and are now national-level players.
“I had belief in my daughters, I let them free,” Gurlal Singh told The Tribune.
Rashdeep’s mother Gurpinder Kaur said, “People would often say don’t send the girls out. But her father never listened to them.”
The family’s journey was far from easy. Financial struggle was always there, yet Gurlal and Gurpinder never allowed their daughters to feel the weight of that hardship. They arranged accommodation for the girls to stay in Jalandhar so they could continue training under Sports Department’s athletics coach Sarabjit Singh Happy.
Behind every medal and every race was a sacrifice that remained hidden from the daughters. “Once, I had to sell my gold chain to arrange a ticket and other things for Rashdeep so that she could participate in a competition,” Gurpinder said. “Even today, Rashdeep does not know about it,” she added.
Rashdeep’s youngest sister Ranjeet Kaur, a national-level kho kho player, however, knows about it. “When our mother sold her jewellery, she told me not to tell Rashi didi (Rashdeep). That day, I promised her that we’ll buy her several necklaces,” she said.
The daughters credit their father for keeping the family focused amid criticism and challenges. “He always told us not to pay attention to what people were saying. He said we should focus only on our goals,” they said.
The family also expressed gratitude to coach Sarabjit Singh Happy, who trained Rashdeep in Jalandhar for nearly a decade and supported her (financially as well) throughout her journey.
Now, as Rashdeep prepares to represent India in the Commonwealth Games, the parents have been getting congratulatory messages from the villagers. The moment her selection was confirmed, Rashdeep called home and said, “Our dreams are coming true.”
The Tribune