Seema Punia makes Rio cut with a golden throw

Karam Prakash

Patiala, May 29

Seema Punia won an Olympics quota place and a gold medal in the women’s discus throw at the Pat Youngs Throwers Classic in California on Sunday. With a throw of 62.62m, Punia became India’s 19th track and field athlete, the first in discus throw, to qualify for Rio. She crossed the qualifying mark of 61m in her fourth tournament in the US. Before making the cut with her season’s best throw, she had logged 58.83m, 58.35m and 60.80m, respectively, in the previous three attempts.

In this tournament, however, the 32-year-old Punia came up with a much improved performance to finish on top. Among the throwers she got the better of here was Stephanie Brownie of the US, the gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Brownie threw the disc to a distance of 60.51. Punia, the 2014 Asian Games gold medallist, has been training in the US since January 28.

“I am delighted with my performance. Rio would be my third Olympics, and I want to make it count by winning a medal for the country,” said an ecstatic Punia.

She will now head to Europe, where she will participate in the other qualifying events to rub shoulders with her potential opponents at Rio and keep herself ready for the big event. The Indian thrower will also aim to surpass her personal best (64.84m) before heading to Rio in August.

Parveer Singh Saini, a former national coach who has worked with Punia in the past, said she’s peaking at the right time. “She is peaking very well, and I think she can win a medal in Rio,” said Saini.

Meanwhile, the 2010 CWG champion Krishna Poonia won a silver medal at Chula-Vista Olympics Training Centre, San Diego, with a throw of 57.97m. In the men’s javelin throw, India's 19-year-old Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal in Putbosstadion, Oordegem-Lede, Belgium. The 2016 SAF Games champion threw the javelin to a distance of 75.52m; the top position was bagged by Dutchman Mart Berge Ten with a throw of 77.43m. In the women’s event, the 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist Annu Rani bagged the top spot with an effort of 54.61m.

How Punia compares with the best 

Her season’s best: 62.62m
Her personal best: 64.84m (2004)
Gold winning throw at the London Olympics: 69.11m
Season's best, by Sandra Perkovic: 70.88m (Shanghai on May 16, 2016)

With agency inputs