Shot put queen Manpreet's coach won't accompany her to Rio
Punjab's Manpreet Kaur who made history in 2015 by becoming the first ever Indian female shot-putter to qualify for the Olympics is visibly upset with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). The AFI hasn't permitted Kaur's coach to travel to Rio. Kaur who was taken aback by the decision said that this would affect "women's shot put's future adversely."
Manpreet Kaur: A rising star of shot put
Manpreet Kaur, a shot putter hailing from Punjab represented the Railways. Kaur's shot put personal best score was 14.49m in 2006. She finished 9th at the 5th IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava in the Czech Republic in 2007. She participated in 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and then took a 3 year sabbatical after she married her coach of 7 years.
Manpreet books her berth to Rio
Manpreet Kaur beat an 18-year-old national record by scoring 17.96m in women's shot put in the 55th National Open Athletics Championships in Kolkata. This was Manpreet's 6th gold medal in the National Championships and her 3rd on the trot. Manpreet will now represent India in the 2016 Rio Olympics and said that she aimed to acore above 20m.
Kaur wins gold at 12th South Asian Games
On 9 February 2016, Manpreet Kaur won another gold at the 12th South Asian Games with the throw of 17.96m.
Manpreet cites AFI's reason behind their decision
Sportskeeda quoted Manpreet saying that the AFI told her "You won't win a medal, hence what's the point of sending a coach with you?"
Kaur explains her need for her coach
Manpreet Kaur highlighted the need for her coach to accompany her to Rio saying that she wouldn't be able to train alone for 10 days. She further said that shot put training requires strenuous weight training which when carried out unsupervised can hurt her. She said that she was trying to finance his trip by herself but there was too little time.
