Kamalpreet Kaur scripts historic Olympic women's discus throw final qualification with second best throw

Kamalpreet Kaur hold the current national record
Kamalpreet Kaur hold the current national record

Indian discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur qualified for the finals of the women's discus throw after breaching the 64m qualifying mark. She is the second Indian female discus thrower to qualify for the final at the Olympics, after Krishna Poonia achieved the feat in London 2012.

Kamalpreet was placed in group B for the qualification round, pitted against some big names like Yaime Perez of Cuba and Valarie Allman of the United States of America. Both throwers have crossed the 67m mark in 2021 and are top contenders at the Tokyo Olympics.

Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule

Kaur, however, seemed unfazed by the competition. She started her qualification with a throw of 60.29m. She really got in the groove with a second throw of 63.97m, just short of the qualifying mark of 64m. The throw would still have been enough to make the final as it fell among the best 12 throws in the qualification round. Kaur took no chances though, finding the 64m mark in her final attempt.

Valarie Allman, who was also in Kaur's group, managed a 66.42m throw in her first attempt and that was all we saw of her in qualifying. Allman and Kaur were the only two throwers to qualify via the 'Q' criteria i.e. managing a 64m+ throw. The final of the event will take place on the 2nd of August.

Kamalpreet Kaur's good form in 2021

Growing up in Badal, a small town in Punjab, Kaur had to fight the odds to make her dream of representing India at the Olympics come true. After failing to qualify for the 2018 Asian Games, Kaur has raised her level to be among the top contenders in the world.

She has already set the national record twice in 2021. She broke the record first with a throw of 65.06m at the Federation Cup in March and then with a 66.59m throw at the Indian Grand Prix in Patiala. A 66.59m throw would have won her bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Kaur will hope to continue her good form and make her mark in Tokyo. A medal should certainly be in her sights, but the 25-year-old would also look to better the national record when she steps onto the field in the final.

Also read - India at Olympics 2021

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Edited by SANJAY K K
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