Emotional Seema Punia buries the demons of a drug-tainted past

It took 14 years for Seema Punia to realise the potential everyone saw in her when she won a discus gold medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Chile. 14 years of disheartening performances and of controversial doping allegations.

In fact, Punia’s achievement at the Junior Championships in 2000 also came under a cloud after she tested positive for the stimulant pseudoephedrine and her medal was withdrawn. She was spared a ban, but the cynicism that came with such a dark blot followed her around — until her gold medal winning performance at Incheon on Monday.

While Punia continued to qualify as India’s representative in discus throw at major events with ease, she’s had her fair share of injury trouble and run-ins with doping allegations. She withdrew from the Indian team at the last minute and returned home from Doha during the 2006 Asian Games. It was claimed that she had tested positive for a banned substance during the athletics team’s training camp in Muscat — despite being cleared to perform, Punia did not compete.

Things got worse as a back injury forced her out of the Guangzhou Asian Games. But post her training in America with her husband and coach Ankush, Seema’s performances have certainly become better.

“I was very emotional on the podium and I broke down into tears because this was my first Asian Games after missing the two previous Asian Games, partly because of a doping allegation in 2006 when I was innocent. On the podium, all the pain and the sacrifices came to my mind. Back then I could also not win the prestigious Arjuna award from the government because of the doping allegation,” she explained at the media conference for medal winners.

“This is my first Asian Games and I really worked hard for this. The past two times I did not qualify for the Asian Games for various reasons even though I set the national record. I have worked hard over the last three years. I just thought about competing and winning this Asian Games gold because this is very important to me,” she said.

“The stipulation in India regarding the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games (qualification was only for the first two CWG finishers and not bronze winners) was the reason why I could not participate in the 2010 games,” she commented.

Punia’s throw of 61.03m not only won her gold, it also exorcised the demons of her past.

With inputs from PTI