Kamalpreet Kaur qualifies for Tokyo Olympics, breaks national record in women's discus throw

Kamalpreet Kaur set a new national record of 65.06 metres. The Olympic qualification benchmark is 63.5 metres.

The towering Punjab girl overshadowed Seema Punia with a humongous throw that obliterated all past records- Biswaranjan Rout

Two years ago, Kamalpreet Kaur sneaked in with a new meet record in discus throw to win the Federation Cup even as all eyes had been on Commonwealth Games medalist Navjeet Kaur Dhillon.

On Friday, the towering Punjab girl did an encore, overshadowing veteran Seema Punia with a humongous throw that obliterated all past records and gave her a ticket to Tokyo.

Kamalpreet’s first throw itself went 65.06m, going past the nine-year old national record of 64.76m by Krishna Punia and the Olympic qualifying mark of 63.50m. That her remaining throws were fouls mattered little. It is also the fourth-best throw in the world this year so far.

“I wanted to do even better but for some reason got nervous. Maybe because I had made 65m already, I kept stepping over. But next time I will be ready,” she told The Hindu . Then 22, Kamalpreet had fought past a severe back injury to upset all predictions. Now 25, she continues to be in awe of her seniors but only till stepping on the field.

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“With nothing happening for a year, I trained with stuff like beds and flowerpots in the village. I had prepared well but was unable to sleep properly for the last three days with nervousness and excitement,” she admitted. She knows it will only get tougher. To put in context, her Friday’s attempt would only have placed her fourth at Rio.

Many congratulations to #KamalpreetKaur who achieved qualification for #Tokyo2020 in women's discus throw with a national record attempt of 65.06m. This is also above the Olympic qualification benchmark of 63.5m. #RoadToOlympics#JeetengeOlympics#DiscusThrow#FederationCuppic.twitter.com/8eobFshyPF

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) March 19, 2021

While Gurmeet Singh set a new meet record in hammer throw, Hima Das won the battle between a star and the new kid on the track in 23.21 seconds in 200m, bettering Dhanalakshmi’s 23.26 meet record set on Thursday.