Seema Punia is an Indian athlete and competes in discus throw competitions. He lost his gold medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships because he tested positive for the drug pseudoephedrine.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Seema Antil Punia was born on Wednesday, 27 July 1983 (age 40 years; as in 2023) in Village Khewra, Sonipat, Haryana. His zodiac sign is Leo. She did her schooling from Tika Ram Girls Senior Secondary School. School, Sonipat, Haryana. Later, he did his graduation from Government College, Sonipat, Haryana. Since childhood, he was inclined towards sports and at the age of 11, he started participating in hurdles and long jump competitions in his school. Talking about Punia in an interview, his father said,
We encouraged him as much as we could and never put pressure on him regarding his studies. We fed him milk and ghee to increase his stamina. Wherever he had to go, I used to go with him.”
Physical Appearance
Height: 6′
Weight: 96 kg
Eye colour: black
Hair Color: Black
Family
parents and siblings
His father Vijay Pal Singh is a former lawyer. He has two elder brothers. His eldest brother, Anandpal Antil, is a Greco-Roman wrestler, and his younger brother, Amitpal Antil, is a hockey player.
Seema Punia’s parents
husband and children
On 6 February 2011, she married Indian discus thrower Ankush Punia, who was also her coach. After a few years of marriage, problems started appearing in their married life and later both of them got divorced. The news of their divorce came into public view when Seema updated her marital status as divorced and removed her surname ‘Punia’ from her Facebook account.
Seema Punia’s wedding photo
Seema Punia and her husband
livelihood
Initially, she started as a long jumper, but later, she shifted her focus to discus throw. He participated in various national and international tournaments and won many honors for the country. He won various medals in competitions like Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. She was doing well in her career until she tested positive for the drug Pseudoephedrine in 2000. This proved to be a major setback in his career, he also lost his gold medal which he had won at the World Junior Championships 2000. In 2010, he was appointed to the post of Sub-Inspector in Haryana Police. On winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in 2014, he said,
I am very happy today to get the gold that I was expecting. I have trained for this gold for the last three years. I was looking forward to this after missing the last two Asian Games. I usually don’t do well in my first throw. But today, following the instructions of my coach, I threw the disc beyond 55 meters in my very first attempt.
In 2021, he represented India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the discus throw event. The event was postponed a year to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Seema Punia practicing discus throw
Controversy
He won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2000 and people started recognizing him as the ‘Millennium Child’. Later, he was found positive for pseudoephedrine drug test and ultimately, he lost his medal and title.
medal
World Junior Championships
- 2002: Bronze medal in discus throw held in Kingston
Commonwealth Games
- 2006: Silver medal in discus throw in Melbourne
- 2010: Bronze medal in discus throw held in Delhi
- 2014: Silver medal in Discus Throw held in Glasgow
- 2018: Silver medal in discus throw in Gold Coast
asian games
- 2014: Gold medal in discus throw in Incheon
- 2018: Bronze medal in discus throw in Jakarta Palembang
Seema Punia with gold medal in Asian Games
Facts/General Knowledge
- During an interview, she told that her first love is discus throw, but she also wanted to try her hand in shot put. he adds,
My life revolves around discus. It’s the only thing I know. Sports have given me so much to explore the world. If this discus had not happened, I would have been confined to taking care of cows in some remote village in Haryana. My mission is to win an Olympic medal which is still incomplete and the next two years will be dedicated to fulfilling this dream. Although discus is still my main focus, I am also interested in trying my hand at shot put. In India, we do not have quality female shot putters. I had won medals at the Asian level during my junior days and I don’t mind giving it another try.”
- On 26 June 2006, he received the Bhima Award from the Government of Haryana for his contribution to sports.
- In an interview, he shared that he was once misbehaved by sports officials in India. In 2014 he also faced huge financial losses and did not even get promotion in Haryana Police. Talking about this in an interview he said,
I got the job of sub-inspector only after the court order. Whenever I present my case for promotion, I am told that only Asian Games gold medalists can be promoted to DSP rank. I knew that wasn’t true if you looked at the cases of other athletes. But I don’t want to take anyone’s name. I just want to say that now I am also an Asiad gold medalist, please treat me equally.
- Seema Punia follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- In 2021, she became suspicious of the sudden improvement in the performance of her fellow discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur. Punia wrote a letter to the sports federation, in which he indicated that Kaur was taking hyperandrogenism supplements. In an interview Punia said,
When he threw 65 meters (in the Federation Cup) I was the first one to congratulate and appreciate him. But when he crossed 66 metres, and I saw the footage, I was skeptical. Beyond a limit, strength alone cannot help a woman thrower go that distance. It requires technique, fitness, agility and a lot of other things, none of which he has.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn