TEARS OF JOY AT INCHEON GAMES,
WAIT ENDS After a tumultuous 15-year career, an emotional Seema Punia nails gold in her maiden Asiad
INCHEON: Seema Antil-Punia was a relieved woman after winning the discus gold medal on Monday. She probably would have been as happy had she won a silver or bronze considering this is her maiden Asian Games in a career spanning over 15 years.
So many times was she denied the Asiad ticket --sometimes due to injury and once because her “father was not well”. But the athlete, standing six-foot plus, erased those memories at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium to open India’s gold-medal account in the track and field with a throw of 61.03m on her fourth attempt.
“I thought the Asian Games were jinxed for me. When I was about to board the flight to Doha in 2006, my father’s illness kept me away,” she said, referring to the controversial no show. “Then in 2010, Krishna Poonia and Harwant Kaur got selected because of better showing in domestic and international competitions,” said the thrower from Sonepat in Haryana who took up athletics as an 11-year-old because she had a sturdy build.
India’s other entry, Krishna Poonia, who won bronze at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, managed only fourth after a best of 55.57m in her second attempt.
BACK ON TOP
The only 60-plus throw of day sealed victory for Seema. The previous success for India in women’s discus had come at the 2002 Games in Busan where Neelam Jaswant Singh, who has since faded into oblivion after being banned for doping, won the gold.
“It’s indeed touching for me as I had finished fifth in the 2005 Asian Track and Field Championships in Incheon at the Munhak Stadium, which is not too far from here.”
Seema was emotional all evening and even as she stepped on to the podium, tears rolled down her cheeks. “I always wanted to compete in the Asian Games. The silver medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games really motivated me to start thinking about a medal here.
“My preparations were just perfect. Under the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) scheme, they allowed me to train in the US before the CWG. I trained with throwing coach, Tony Ciarelli. Again after Glasgow, I asked the federation to send me for a month to the US and they did.”
Seema had to overcome a career-threatening cervical injury in 2009, which required more than two months rest. Seema felt she could have done even better had she tried harder. “It’s not my personal best, but the gold is fine. I have been crossing 64-65m in trials.”
Perhaps this victory will put an end to all the controversies that have swirled around her from the time she was a junior. In 2000, she was stripped of her gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile, after testing positive for a stimulant, although Seema pleaded that she had only taken a flu medication.
In 2006, when Seema did not board the flight to the Doha Games, there were rumours she was withdrawn for alleged doping violations. For long vilified and overshadowed by Krishna Poonia and Harwat Kaur, she can now tell the world she has arrived.
ACCREDITATION ISSUE
Seema had to curtail her training stint in the US by a week due to accreditation problem. Her original plan was to fly directly from her training base to Incheon, but due to the accreditation goof-up – it works as visa at major games --- she had to come to India to obtain visa before flying to Korea.