Life has been really hard for Seema Punia. Despite finishing with medals in the last three Commonwealth Games, she missed the last two Asiads for one reason or the other.
She did not compete in Doha in 2006 with talk that she was probably on dope and she could not make it to Guangzhou after failing to qualify from the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
So, when she got a chance at the 17th Asian Games here on Monday night, Seema made the most of it, taking the lead from the third round and improving it in the next to beat the field hollow and win the gold comfortably at the Asiad Main Stadium.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stood on the podium with the gold.
“There were doping allegations against me earlier and if you’re involved in a doping scandal, you don’t get the Arjuna Award,” said the 31-year-old from Haryana. “All that pain and sacrifice came to my mind when I got that gold and that made me emotional. I’m very happy.”
India had five medals, all on track, at the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad but this time the field events were expected to bring the big medals and Seema was the first to strike gold.
There were a couple of bronze medals too to make the day bright for India with O.P. Jaisha finishing third in the women’s 1500m bronze and a little later, Naveen Kumar bringing another in the men’s 3000m steeplechase with a personal best time.
Seema, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist who is coached by her husband Ankush Punia, began as the favourite and she did not let the country down winning the gold with 61.03m. Krishna Poonia, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, was fourth with 55.57.
Golden moment
While Seema had a gold around her neck, Jaisha had a similar feeling too though she had won just a bronze.
With runners from Kenya and Ethiopia, the distance events virtually make the Asiad appear like an African championship.
And the Kerala-born Jaisha, who finished third behind Maryam Yusuf Jamal and Mimi Belete — both from Ethiopia — said that since she was the only native Asian on the podium, she felt like a champion too.
“We are zero without our coach Nikolai Snesarev” said Jaisha, a ticket examiner with the Eastern Railway in Kolkata.
“We struggled when he left and now with him by our side, we can prepare well for the Olympics.”
Maryam, a former two-time World champion and a bronze medallist at the London Olympics, was the clear favourite. But it was the gutsy Jaisha who led the field closely followed by Japan’s Liu Fang with Maryam and Mimi patiently waiting for the perfect time to strike.
That opportunity came just before the final corner. Mimi appeared to take off first but it was Maryam who powered away to gold completing a hat-trick of triumphs at the Asiad.
Top class field
The men’s 3000m steeplechase had a top-class field too and Naveen Kumar had four runners who had been faster than him this season.
But Naveen, who is coached by Olympian Surender Singh, did not allow all these to cloud his mind and returned with a surprise bronze.
Both M.A. Prajusha and Mayookha Johny disappointed in the women’s long jump, though it did not come as a surprise.
Prajusha finished eighth with a mediocre 6.23m that equalled her season best while Mayookha failed to qualify for the eight-jumper final after a poor 6.12.
New high jump mark
Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, the World Championship silver medallist, who is excitingly close to the men’s world record, broke the Games high jump record while winning the gold comfortably in 2.35m while his younger brother Muamer took the bronze with 2.25.
“I don’t know why it took so long to break the Games record,” said Mutaz after packing off China’s Zhu Jianhua’s 32-year-old mark of 2.33m.
The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team of Kunhu Muhammed, Joseph Abraham, Jithin Paul and Arokia Rajiv finished second in its heat and qualified for the final.
The results:
Men: 3000m steeplechase: Ali Abubaker Kamal (Qat) 8:28.72s, 2. Tareq Mubarak Taher (Brn) 8:39.62, 3. Naveen Kumar (Ind) 8:40.39.
High jump: 1. Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qat) 2.35m (GR), 2. Zhang Guowei (Chn) 2.33, 3. Muamer Essa Barshim (Qat) 2.25. 16. Nikhil Chittarasu (Ind) 2.15.
Women: 1500m: 1. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Brn) 4:09.90s, 2. Mimi Belete (Brn) 4:11.03, 3. O.P. Jaisha (Ind), 4:13.46, 5. Sini Ajith Markose (Ind) 4:17.12.
Long jump: 1. Maria Natalia Londa (Ina) 6.55m, 2. Thi Thu Thao Bui (Vie) 6.44, 3. Jiang Yanfei (Chn) 6.34.
Discus: 1. Seema Punia (Ind) 61.03m, 2. Lu Xiaoxin 59.35, 3. Jian Tan (Chn) 59.03.
