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What's the story?
India's exemplary show in the track and field events at the Asian Games 2018 continued as discus thrower Seema Punia struck a measure of 62.26m to clinch the bronze medal in the women's discus throw final at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The 35-year old Seema Punia, who hails from Sonipat in Haryana was the defending champion from the 2014 Asian Games, where she grabbed the top honors with a throw of 61.03m and bettered her performance in this edition, although she finished with the bronze medal.
In case you didn't know...
The Indian contingent has enjoyed a stellar run in the ongoing Asian Games, with 15 of the total 55 medals coming from the athletics field. Manjit Singh (Men's 800m), Tajinderpal Singh (Men's shot put), Neeraj Chopra (Men's Javelin Throw), Arpinder Singh (Men's Triple Jump) and Swapna Barman (Women's Heptathlon) had all clinched medals prior to Seema Punia's bronze-medal winning effort.
Heart of the Matter
One of India's best female discus throwers in the country, Seema Punia blazed through her attempts and managed to stay in the race for the podium finish right throughout the contest.
A four-time Commonwealth Games medalist with the silver medal from the 2018 Commonwealth Games her most recent medal, Seema was expected to give her opponents a run for their money with her skill and managed to do the exact same thing.
Seema's first throw measured 58.51m but fouled on her next throw, as the disc flew out of bounds. However, in her third throw, Seema crossed the 60m mark with a throw of 62.26m, punching the air with a war cry which followed a 61.28m throw. A foul in her fifth throw was followed by one that fell below her top mark as she finished in the third position.
The other Indian discus thrower in the fray, Kumari Sandeep finished in fifth place with an effort of 54.61m as the honors went to Seema Punia on the day.
What's Next?
With the Indian athletes enjoying a 'golden' run at the tournament, one can expect a lot more medals coming India's way as a number of athletes will be competing in the coming days across various other disciplines and will be banked upon to bring more laurels to the country.
