Tokyo Olympics: Discus thrower Kamalpreet qualifies for finals
New Delhi: Indian athlete Kamalpreet Kaur made it to the finals after securing second place in the women’s discus throw qualifiers on Saturday.
The 25-year-old from Badal, Punjab, started with a 60.29 m discus throw in the first round. The distance gradually increased, with a throw of 63.97 m in the second round.
But it was the spectacular 64 m throw in the third round that secured an automatic qualification in the final 15-player field in Group B.
Kaur became the 1st Indian to touch the 64m mark.
Competing from Qualification B, Kaur secured second place in the finals after American thrower Valarie Allman, who won at 66.42 m.
India defeated Croatian gold-medalist Sandra Perkovic (63.75 m) to third place and Cuban Yaime Perez (63.18) to the seventh.
However, an Indian veteran from Qualification A, Seema Punia, ranked sixth with a throw of 60.57 m and failed to qualify for the finals.
Earlier, Kamalpreet Kaur broke her own national record of 65.06 m to 66.59 m at the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala, Punjab, on June 21, 2021.
All eyes will be on Kaur as she advances in the finals on August 2.
(Avya Mathur)
