Four-time medallist Seema Punia signs off from 'last' CWG empty-handed

The seasoned thrower was in medal reckoning early on in the women's discus final, but could not respond as her rivals got better as the competition in the Birmingham CWG developed

As Seema Punia exited from the tracks of the Alexander Stadium - packed to the brim for the opening night of athletics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) - she dished out a short wave to the applauding spectators.

Seema Punia India competes during the women's discus throw final.  (Getty)

In each of her previous four appearances at the CWG stage, Seema has walked out with a medal. That wasn’t to be in her fifth, and what she called her last, Games outing, finishing fifth in the women’s discus throw final with a best effort of 55.92m on Tuesday night.

It was a disappointing result for the 39-year-old silver medallist from the 2018 Gold Coast CWG who also won silver in 2006 and 2014 and a bronze in the 2010 home event, which she singled out as her fondest CWG memory.

"This will be my last CWG,” Punia said. "For me, coming to a fifth CWG is a big thing. It shows my longevity in a sport that is so physically demanding."

It has been an underwhelming season for Punia who has struggled to get a single 60-plus throw. Her season best of 57.09m came in a meet in Chula Vista, USA last month. Such was the field in Birmingham that matching her season best would have given the Indian a bronze.

Nigeria's Chioma Onyekwere won gold with a throw of 61.70, England's Jade Lally took silver (58.42) and Nigerian Obiageri Amaechi bronze (56.99).

Navjeet Kaur Dhillon, who had joined Punia in the podium in Gold Coast with a bronze medal, too couldn't step up with a best throw of 53.51m only helping finish eighth among the 11 finalists.

Punia's poor returns in the first four competitions of the season saw her being withdrawn by the Athletics Federation of India from the recent World Championships after she had made the cut with a season-best 63.72 at the inter-state championships in Patiala in June last year. She instead trained in the US for the CWG.

Punia, who managed a throw of 60.57 at the Tokyo Olympics last year but could not qualify for the final, said she had been battling a left hip joint injury this year though she is pain free now.

Her focus will shift to next year's postponed Asian Games, where she had won bronze four years ago.

"I am fit now and feel no pain in the hip. If it continues to be pain free, I can think about the Asian Games and delivering a good throw there of about 63-64m which will also put me in the fray for the Olympic qualification for Paris (2024). If I don’t get the throw there, then I won't come back."

Punia believes she is getting closer to the level she wants to get back to, her throws in training sessions giving her the motivation to carry on for a bit longer. “The day I stop throwing well in training, I will myself stop," she said.