The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Krishna Poonia qualifies for Olympics

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Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
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Krishna Poonia qualifies for Olympics

NEW DELHI: Woman discus thrower Krishna Poonia has attained a qualification mark for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Competing in the Mount SAC Relays in Walnut, California, US, on Sunday, Krishna threw the discus to 59.04 metres, thus crossing the qualification mark that stands at 59.0 metres.

For two discus throwers to make it to Beijing, a possibility that is very much in the calculations of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), both will need to touch 61.0 metres.

Krishna finished fourth, behind Americans Stephanie Brown Trafton (61.77), Aretha Thurmond (61.52) and Summer Pierson (59.42).

Krishna is the fifth Indian athlete to register a qualifying mark, the others being triple jumper Renjith Maheswary, discus thrower Vikas Gowda, long jumper Anju Bobby George and heptathlete Susmita Singha Roy.

Domestic competitions

Speaking on phone from Portland, Oregon, where she is training under former world record holder Mac Wilkins, Krishna said on Tuesday that she was looking forward to the domestic competitions in June and would be aiming to better her personal best of 61.53 recorded while winning the bronze in the Doha Asian Games.

Husband and coach Virendar Poonia said that Krishna would be competing in two or three more competitions in the U.S. in the coming weeks.

He added that her training had gone off well so far with Wilkins guiding her two to three days a week. — Special Correspondent

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