Kamalpreet Kaur finishes second in discus qualification to make finals
Discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur produced one of the best performances by an Indian in the Olympics, though in a qualifying round, as she made it to the finals of the ongoing Games after finishing second in Tokyo on Saturday. 25-year-old Kaur competing in qualification B, sent the discus to a distance of 64m in her third and final attempt.
Kaur was one of the two automatic qualifiers for finals
Kaur was one of the only two automatic qualifiers for the final round, the other being American Valarie Allman (66.42m). The final will be held on August 2. The Indian ended ahead of defending gold-medalist Sandra Perkovic (63.75m) of Croatia and reigning world champion Yaime Perez (63.18) of Cuba. Perkovic qualified at third and Perez at seventh.
Seema Punia was out after finishing sixth in qualification A
But veteran Seema Punia made an exit after finishing sixth in qualification A and 16th overall with a below-par best throw of 60.57m. Kaur began with a 60.29m effort and improved it to 63.97m before her third throw of 64m. Every competitor gets three throws. Those who touch 64m or at least 12 best performers in the two qualifying rounds advance to the final.
Kaur is the first Indian to breach the 65m mark
Kaur has been in impressive form this year as she breached the 65m mark twice recently. She threw 65.06m during Federation Cup in March to break the national record and become the first Indian to breach the 65m mark. Then in June, she bettered her own national record with a throw of 66.59m during the Indian Grand Prix-4 to sit at world number six.
Klinken of Netherlands failed to make the final round cut
Season leader Jorinde van Klinken of Netherlands failed to make the final round cut with a modest throw of 61.15m. She has a season's best of 70.22m while Allman is second-best this year at 70.01m.
Punia was way below her season and personal best marks
Punia, who had booked a last-minute Olympics berth, was way below her season and personal best marks. She fouled her first throw and had 60.57m and 58.93m in her next two attempts to make an exit from what would be her last Olympics. She has a personal best of 64.84m, a performance she produced way back in 2004 when she made her Olympic debut.
Punia has never qualified for the final round
It was the veteran discus thrower's fourth Olympics. She has never qualified for the final round. In the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, she had disappointing performances of 61.91m and 57.58m. However, Punia has won laurels for the country in the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
