With record throw, Kamalpreet Kaur eyes Games medal

CHENNAI: After rewriting the national record in the women’s discus throw in March, Punjab’s Kamalpreet Kaur has bettered her mark with a throw of 66.59m. At the Federation Cup in Patiala three months ago, the 25-year-old had achieved a throw of 65.06m and booked her ticket to Tokyo. At the Indian GPx-4 in Patiala Monday, Kamalpreet was able to add more than a metre to her previous best. However, on technical grounds, the mark won’t be considered a national record since she was the only competitor at the event. 

If you consider the distances achieved in the women’s discus throw final in the last two Olympics, the mark Kamalpreet achieved on Monday would be good enough for her to secure a podium finish. In Rio de Janeiro, a throw of 69.21m by Cro­a­tia’s Sandra Perkovic won the gold while silver and bronze were achieved with throws of 66.73m and 65.34m respectively. It suggests that Kamalpreet’s preparation is on the right track and that she may be a medal contender even though she had no competitions after the Federation Cup in March.

“I cannot explain my excitement. My aim is to win an Olympics medal. So I am not thinking anything other than that. That mindset is reflecting in my performance in these meets,” Kamalpreet told this daily on Monday. “I was actually hoping for a throw of 67 or 68m but there was no competition here for that extra push.”

She is confident that the grand stage of the Olympics will bring the best out of her. “More than pressure about the Olympics, there is just excitement. I am targeting a throw of 69m in Tokyo.” Her coach Rakhi Tyagi has set slightly more realistic expectations. According to Rakhi, who has been coaching Kamalpreet since 2014, the target she would be able to achieve is in the range of 67-68m. “We will en­sure she has no gap in her tra­ining from now to Tokyo. If she can achieve a throw of 67-68m, it should be enough to win a medal.”