Seema Antil is going to represent India at Rio Olympics 2016 in the discus throw event. She qualified for the Games after winning the gold medal at the Pat Young Throwers Classic in California, US. She registered an attempt of 62.62m which helped her beat 2008 Beijing Olympics champion, Stephanie Brown Trafton, to win the gold and better the Olympics qualification mark of 61m. Here are 10 facts you did not know about the discus thrower:
#1 Seema Punia Antil was born on 27 July 1983 in Sonipat, Haryana.
#2 She began her sporting career at the age of 11 as a long jumper and hurdler, but later chose discus throw as her preferred sport.
#3 She studied at the Government College, Sonipat.
#4 She won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2000 in Santiago in the discus throw event which gave her the nickname ‘Millennium Child’ but was stripped of the medal after testing positive for pseudoephedrine and was given a warning by the National Federation.
#5 She is married to her coach Ankush Punia, who had represented India at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in the Discus throw event.
#6 She won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and was honoured by the Haryana state government with the Bhim Award in June, 2006.
#7 She won a bronze medal in discuss throw at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
#8 She tested positive for stanozolol (a steroid) before the 2006 Asian Games but was cleared by the National Federation to participate in the Games. However, she chose to not take part in the Games and opted out of the team.
#9 She won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games.
#10 She represented India in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she stood 14th and 2012 London Olympics, where she came 13th in the discus throw event with a best of 61.91m.
