India's Seema Punia clinches silver in discus throw at Qosanov Memorial meet

She was the lone Indian to take part in the competition.

India's four-time Olympian, Seema Punia, secured the silver medal in women's Discus Throw event with a best throw of 57.35m at the Qosanov Memorial athletics meet held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Saturday (July 1). Her best throw was also better than the Asian Games qualifying mark of 57m set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Olympian Subenrat Insaeng of Thailand won the gold medal with a 59.67m attempt, while Karina Vasilyeva from Kazakhstan claimed the bronze medal with 47.70m best throw.

Seema Punia's series - 56.48m, X, X, 56.48m, 57.35m, - .

The athlete from Haryana started the series on a good note registering a valid throw of 56.48m. She then committed two foul throws and followed it up with a 57.35m throw in the fifth attempt which was also her final try at the meet. Seema Punia was the lone Indian athlete competing at the 32nd Qosanav meet which is a WACT Bronze level competition.

Several Indians took part in the meet last year but this year due to the Asian Athletics Championships 2023 round the corner, only Punia made her way through to Almaty. The Olympic qualification cycle for Paris Games started officially on July 1, 2023, and Punia will be adding valuable ranking points to her kitty.

This was also Veteran athlete's second competition of the season with her first coming at Inter-State Athletics meet where she clinched the gold medal with a 56.50m throw, to seal Asian Games qualification, held last month in Bhubaneshwar. Participation in the Inter-State Championships was made mandatory by AFI for selection to the forthcoming Asian Games squad.

The former World Junior Championships bronze medallist has been associated with the sport for more than two decades now. A four-time Commonwealth Games and two-time Asian Games medallist, Seema Punia won gold medal in Junior Worlds in 2000 but was stripped off due to a positive drugs test.

She later came back to win a bronze in 2002 and since has won several medals in the senior meets and now is all set to qualify and take part in her fifth Olympic Games.