Seema Punia achieves AFI’s Asian Games 2022 qualification mark

Discus thrower Seema Punia opened her international season with a season-best 57.35m for a silver medal at the 33rd Qosanov memorial athletics meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.

Seema Punia of India in action. | Photo Credit: PTI

Discus thrower Seema Punia opened her international season with a season-best 57.35m for a silver medal at the 33rd Qosanov memorial athletics meet in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.

That saw the 2014 Asian Games gold medallist, who will be 40 later this month, achieve the Athletics Federation of India’s qualification mark (57m) for this September’s Asian Games in China.

READ | Avinash Sable to compete in Stockholm Diamond League 3000m steeplechase

Thailand’s Subenrat Insaeng, a bronze medallist at the 2019 Asian Championship in Doha, took the gold with 59.57m.

Meanwhile Iran’s Farzaneh Fasihi surprised Kazakhstan’s Asian champion Olga Safronova and emerged as the meet’s fastest woman, winning the 100m in a personal best 11.41s.