Seema Punia is an Indian athlete and participates in the discus throw competition. He lost his gold medal in the 2000 World Junior Championships because he tested positive for the drug pseudoephedrine.
Wiki/Biography
Seema Antil Punia was born on Wednesday, 27 July 1983 (age 40 years; in 2023) in village Khewra, Sonipat, Haryana. His zodiac sign is Leo. She attended school at Tika Ram Girls Sr. Sec. School, Sonipat, Haryana. Later, he continued his studies at Government College, Sonipat, Haryana. Since childhood, he was inclined towards sports, and at the age of 11, he began to participate in hurdle races and long jump competitions at his school. In an interview, while talking about Punia, her father said,
We encouraged him as much as we could and never pressured him about his studies. We gave him milk and ghee to increase his stamina. I accompany him wherever he goes.”
Physical appearance
Height: 6′
Weight: 96 kg
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Vijay Pal Singh, is a former lawyer. He has two brothers. His elder brother, Anandpal Antil, is a Greco-Roman wrestler, and his younger brother, Amitpal Antil, is a hockey player.
Seema Punia’s parents
Husband & Son
On 6 February 2011, she married Indian discus thrower Ankush Punia who was also her coach. After a few years of their marriage, problems began to arise in their married life, and later, the couple divorced. The news of their divorce became public when Seema updated her marital status as a divorcee and dropped the surname ‘Punia’ from her Facebook account.
Seema Punia’s wedding photo
Seema Punia and her husband
Career
At first, he started as a long jumper, but later, he shifted his focus to the discus throw. He participated in various national and international championships and brought many accolades to the country. He won numerous medals in competitions such as the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. He was performing well in his career until he tested positive for the drug pseudoephedrine in 2000. This was a major setback in his career, and he even lost the gold medal he won at the 2000 World Junior Championships. In 2010, he was appointed as a sub-inspector in Haryana Police. In 2014, when he won the gold medal in the Asian Games, he said,
I am very happy to get gold which I expected to win today. I have been training for this gold for the past three years. I have been waiting for this after missing the last two Asian Games. I usually don’t do well on my first throw. But I followed my coach’s instructions today to throw the discus past the 55m mark with my first attempt.”
In 2021, he will represent India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the discus throw event. The event was scheduled for a year later in 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Seema Punia during discus practice
Controversy
He won the gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2000 and people began to recognize him as the ‘Millennium Kid.’ Later, he tested positive for the drug pseudoephedrine, and eventually, he lost his medal and title.
medal
World Junior Championships
- 2002: The bronze medal in the discus was held in Kingston
Commonwealth Games
- 2006: Silver medal in the discus throw held in Melbourne
- 2010: Bronze medal in discus throw held in Delhi
- 2014: Silver medal in the discus throw held in Glasgow
- 2018: The silver medal in the discus was held at the Goldcoast
Asian sports
- 2014: Gold medal in discus throw held in Incheon
- 2018: Bronze medal in the discus throw event held in Jakarta Palembang
Seema Punia with her gold medal at the Asian Games
Facts/Trivia
- During the interview, he shared that his first love was the discus throw, but he also wanted to try the shot put. He further said,
My life revolves around discs. That’s all I know. This sport has given me many opportunities to explore the world. If it wasn’t for discs, I would have been confined to some remote village in Haryana looking after cows. My mission is to win an Olympic medal that has yet to be achieved and the next two years will be dedicated to fulfilling this dream. While discus continues to be my main focus, I’m itching to try my hand at shot put. In India, we don’t have quality women’s shot put. I won a medal at the Asian level during my teenage years and I don’t mind trying again.”
- On 26 June 2006, he received the Bhim Award from the Haryana Government for his contribution to sports.
- In an interview, he shared that he was once mistreated by the sports authorities in India. He also faced huge financial losses in 2014, and was even rejected for promotion in the Haryana Police. In an interview, while talking about it, he said,
It was only after the court order that I got a job as a sub-inspector. Whenever I represented my case for promotion, I was told that only Asian Games gold medalists can be promoted to the rank of DSP. I know it’s not true if you look at the case of other athletes. But I don’t want to take any names. What I want to say is that now I am also an Asian gold medalist, please treat me as equal.”
- Seema Punia follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- In 2021, she doubts a sharp improvement in the performance of fellow discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur. Punia wrote a letter to the sports federation, in which she implied that Kaur was taking a dose of hyperandrogenism. In an interview, Punia said,
When he threw 65m (at the Federation Cup) I was the first to congratulate and appreciate him here. But when he crossed 66m, and I saw the footage, I was skeptical. Beyond a point, sheer power cannot help a female pitcher go that far. It requires technique, fitness, agility, many other things, none of which he has.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
