"In my village, one girl's mistake affects the life of 100 girls": How Kamalpreet Kaur's medal pursuit is empowering a community

Kamalpreet Kaur gave India's hopes of an Olympic medal in athletics a boost when she qualified for the women's discus throw final by managing to breach the 64m qualification mark.

Kaur and Valarie Allman of the United States were the only two discus throwers who managed to clear the 64m qualification mark. With this, Kaur becomes only the second Indian female discus thrower to reach the finals at the Olympics.

Kamalpreet Kaur has qualified for Women’s Discus Throw finals at #Tokyo2020 India has never won an Olympic Medal in Athletics. All our athletes are trying their best. But I'm looking for history from 3 Athletes. Watch out for #KamalpreetKaur on 2nd August. #Cheer4India 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/V6LY4OXNVw

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) July 31, 2021

The 25-year-old from Patiala has been in the limelight a number of times this year. The discus thrower broke India's national record in women's discus throw twice in 2021. She first managed a throw of 65.09m at the Federation Cup to qualify for the Olympics 2021.

She bettered her personal best and national record with a throw of 66.59 meters in June 2021. She has raised the bar over the last two years and risen among the ranks to establish herself as the best discus thrower in the country.

Kamalpreet Kaur's inspiring journey

Kaur has had a journey that has inspired an entire community. She has put her small town - Badal - on the map with her success in the sport.

Coming from a conservative Indian background, Kaur had to deal with raised eyebrows when she decided to take up sports. Sharing her journey with the Olympic channel, Kaur said:

“Actually, the people in my village are very conservative. They believe that a girl should focus on her studies. If she is unable to study then teach her how to do household chores and get her married. So, it [playing a sport] used to be very tough for me since childhood.”

But bowing down to the whims and fancies of society was not in Kaur's plans. She persisted with discus throw and with the support of her parents moved to a hostel. After succeeding in local tournaments, she was finally a part of the Sports Authority of India's program and trained at their center in Badal.

Kaur failed to make it to the 2018 Asiad in Jakarta. This sparked motivation in her to make it to the Tokyo Olympics. Asked about her preparations to qualify for the Olympics, Kaur said:

“My aim was to throw 63m if the qualification mark was set at 62. When I learned that the Olympic qualification mark has been increased to 63.50m, my aim changed to go beyond 65m. I didn’t want anything below that. All day, from when woke up till the time I went to bed, there was only one thing on my mind – 65m.”

Kaur's hard work and dedication paid dividends when she secured a berth for Tokyo at the Federation Cup. She now hopes that her success will bring change to her community and that girls will be allowed to explore more avenues.

“In my village, one girl’s mistake affects the life of 100 other girls. All other girls will be given the example that that one particular girl did that wrong. I feel now that I’ve done something, I’ll be a good example for girls. I feel this change will come.”

She further added:

“I get calls from parents asking me to guide their daughters so they can have bright futures and earn a name for themselves.”

On Monday, when Kaur will be stepping out onto the National Stadium in Tokyo in the final, she will be carrying the hopes of a billion Indians. Irrespective of whether she wins a medal or not, Kaur is a champion.

Going forward, Kaur will find victory every time a young girl from a remote town in India picks up a sport. And that win will perhaps be even sweeter than an Olympic medal.