Kamalpreet Kaur is an Indian athlete who competes in the discus throw. In 2021, she became the first Indian woman to clear the 65m hurdle, clearing 66.59m at the Indian Grand Prix-4 at NIS, Patiala.
Wiki/Biography
Kamalpreet Kaur was born on Monday, March 4, 1996 (26 years old; as of 2022) in Kabarwala village, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab. Her zodiac sign is Pisces. She studied in classes 11 and 12 at Dasmesh Girls High School, Badal, Punjab. She graduated from Punjab University, Patiala, Punjab. When she was in school, her physical education coach insisted that she participate in track and field. She agreed and participated in various sporting events and won many awards. Initially, she started playing shot put, and in 2014, she turned her attention to discus.
appearance
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 106kg
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family
Her father Kuldeep Singh is a farmer. Kaur lives in a joint family in a village in Punjab.
Profession
After completing her studies, she started training professionally in discus at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center in her village. In 2016, she became the national champion in the discus throw in the U-18 and U-20 categories. A year later, she participated in the Universiade in Taipei, Taiwan, finishing fifth. In 2017, she appeared for the Indian Railways clerical exam and passed it. Since her family’s financial situation was not good, receiving a fixed salary at that time was a huge support for her. Talking about the same in an interview, she said,
Sometimes, when I win medals in national-level competitions, the Punjab government provides cash incentives. But there is no regular support. You know my shoes are worth 10,000 rupees too. In 2017, I found a job as a clerk at the railway. The salary is only Rs 21,000, but it is paid every month, which is a huge support. “
In 2018, she failed to participate in the Jakarta Asian Games due to some fouls during the game. With her hard work and high-intensity training, she won the gold medal at the 2019 Federation Cup Senior Track and Field Championships. In an interview, talking about the championship, she said:
My strategy was to go all out on the first pitch, and that worked for me. I can’t put into words how blessed I feel right now. I have been unable to sleep for the past three nights due to nervousness and excitement. Another change happened when I got a protein supplement to improve my performance. I’ll buy a cheap one because I can’t keep asking my dad for more money. “
Kamalpreet Kaur competes in discus throw
In 2019, she began receiving help from the GoSports Foundation. In an interview, she said of the incident,
Things got better when the GoSports Foundation started supporting me in 2019. They provided me with a nutritionist who gave me a monthly chart of what to eat and what not to eat. They kept a close eye on how many calories were burned during training and what I should be eating to make up for the losses. My diet became more balanced. They also helped me with equipment support like shoes. I just need to send them the bill and they will reimburse the money to my account. “
In 2020, she broke the national record in discus with a throw of 6506m at the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala, qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In an interview, talking about qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, she said,
If the qualifying score is set at 62 points, my goal is to throw 63m. When I learned that the Olympic qualifying score had been raised to 63.50m, my goal changed to exceeding 65m. I don’t want anything less than this. The whole day, from getting up to going to bed, there was only one thing on my mind – 65m. “
Kamalpreet Kaur wins gold at National Athletics Championships
She finished sixth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics discus final with a best time of 63.70m. She trained under Preethpal Maru and later under Baljeet Singh.
Record
- 2019: National women’s record of 65.06m mark at Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala
- 2021: Women’s National Record 66.59m at 4th Indian Grand Prix at NIS, Patiala
dispute
In May 2022, she was temporarily suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after the banned substance Stanozolol was found in her sample; use of the substance was deemed to be a breach of World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules. On October 12, 2012, she was banned for three years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after she was found to have used the banned substance Stanozolol.
Facts/Trivia
- When she was in school, she was least interested in studying. In an interview, she said of the incident,
In the eighth grade exam, I only scored 33 points in math and English. There was slight improvement on the X-rated board, but I realized that I wasn’t going anywhere in my studies. I knew I wouldn’t be able to find a job if things continued like this. This was also the one time I participated in a sporting event and did well. People liked my height and shape and suggested I try sports. “
- When she was in school, she wanted to become a professional cricket player, but the school’s sports coach insisted that she participate in various sports such as shot put and discus.
Kamalpreet Kaur during training
- Talking about the support she received from her family and villagers, she said people in the village were very conservative and believed girls should only focus on household chores rather than studies or sports. Initially, her mother was also unhappy with Kaur’s decision to choose sports and live in a dormitory, but her father was very supportive and encouraged her to perform better in the discus throw.
- In an interview, talking about young girls in India, she said:
Girls should be given the freedom to pursue their dreams and realize their potential. Our country does not lack talents. Girls, especially those from rural areas, have a wealth of talents that should be inspired to do better. In my village, one girl’s mistake affects the lives of 100 other girls. All the other girls get an example of what a girl did wrong. I feel like now that I’ve done something, I’ll be a good role model for girls. I have a feeling that change is coming. I get calls from parents asking me to mentor their daughters so they have a bright future and make a name for themselves. “
- In 2021, she was honored for her achievements by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and received a check of Rs. 2 lakhs and ‘siropa’ (robe of honor) presented by Bibi Jagir Kaur, Chairman, SGPC, Amritsar.
- In an interview, Kaur was asked how she was preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics during the COVID-19 lockdown. She responded,
I used my double bed at home as a counterweight. The bed was piled high with clothes, so I used it to do deadlifts. I used flower pots at home as dumbbells. I did all the exercises I could at home and ran in the fields. “
- Kamalpreet is mentally disturbed in 2021 after Indian discus thrower Seema Punia asked the federation to test Kaur for doping.
- In 2021, when she qualified for the discus throw final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, her father said he was unable to watch her qualifying event because he was busy working in the fields.
- Kamalpreet Kaur’s idol is Indian discus thrower Krishna Poonia.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education