Nagoya, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian discus thrower Seema Kaliramna narrowly missed out on a medal at the Asian Games 2026, finishing fourth in the women’s discus final on Monday despite setting a personal best of 59.88 metres.
The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist came close to crossing the 60-metre mark but could not secure a podium finish as the competition intensified in the later rounds. Her best effort improved her previous personal best of 59.73 metres by 15 centimetres.
Seema opened the competition with a throw of 53.67 metres before moving up the standings with a 58.40-metre effort in her second attempt, briefly placing her in the bronze-medal position.
Thailand’s Subenrat Insaeng then overtook Seema with a throw of 58.53 metres before producing a personal-best 61.43 metres to move beyond the 60-metre mark and secure third place.
China’s Jiang Zhichao also delivered a strong performance in the later rounds, recording 62.25 metres to take second place. Seema responded with her best throw of the competition, 59.88 metres, but remained fourth.
She came close to the 60-metre mark again in her final attempt, registering 59.81 metres, but was unable to change the medal standings.
China’s Feng Bin claimed gold with a throw of 63.69 metres, while Jiang Zhichao secured silver with 62.25 metres and Thailand’s Insaeng took bronze with 61.43 metres.
The result ended India’s run of winning a women’s discus medal at every Asian Games since 1998. India had previously won gold in the event through Neelam Jaswant Singh in 2002 and Seema Punia in 2014.
Seema’s performance, however, marked a personal milestone, with both her 59.88-metre and 59.81-metre throws surpassing her previous best.
The other Indian in the final, Sanya Yadav, finished eighth with a best effort of 49.90 metres. After fouling her opening attempt, she recorded 49.90 metres in her second throw but could not improve on the mark in her subsequent attempts.
The final took place amid persistent drizzle, which made conditions in the throwing circle challenging. Feng, the defending champion, established the lead with her opening throw of 63.69 metres and held on to it throughout the competition.
Despite missing the podium, Seema’s fourth-place finish and personal-best throw provided a significant individual achievement at the Asian Games.
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