By IANS,
New Delhi: The medal sweep in women’s discus at the Commonwealth Games athletics event Monday has made the Indians hopeful of a good performance in next month’s Asian Games at Guangzhou.
Harwant Kaur, who bagged the silver behind gold medal winner Krishna Poonia, said women’s discus throwers would surely bring home a medal from the 2012 London Olympics.
“We will surely win a medal in 2012. The win has given us confidence and we will surely perform better in the Asian Games,” said Punjab girl Harwant, who had finished seventh in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games four years ago.
The 30-year-old Harwant, who had earlier won the silver in the 2002 Asian Championships, said it was a team effort which has led to the Indians’ triumph in women’s discus.
“We are always training together. So we are very happy to make India proud,” said Harwant, whose 60.16 m attempt was short of her personal best throw 63.05 metres achieved in 2004 in Kiev. “I didn’t do my best but I am happy that I won silver.”
Bronze winner Seema Antil was ecstatic at having become the first Indian athlete to win back-to-back medals at the Commonwealth Games. She had claimed the silver in Melbourne.
“Now I have won medals in consecutive Commonwealth Games. This shows that Indians can now win medals everywhere and regularly,” she said.
Seema also was excited at Krishna’s gold winning performance.
“I am extremely happy. We knew we would win at least eight to 10 medals this time in athletics. This ends our 52 year-long wait for a Commonwealth Games gold medal,” she said.
In 1958, ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh had bagged India’s first ahtletics gold in the Cardiff Games, and a second top podium finish had eluded the Indian athletes all these years.
“We will take the gold medal and show it to Milkha. We will tell him we can still do it,” said Seema.