Shot put, a sport not really known and familiar to the Indian diaspora is an indoor one. It is an event in which the participant stands inside a marked circle and attempts to ‘put’ a weighted ball as far as they possibly can.
The “put” is different than a “throw” due to the apparent motion of the arm. The sport has a long history of dating back to the ancient times when people used to throw rocks for measuring distance. Currently, the shot put is thrown both during indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
In a recent turn of events, India has now been placed on the global map with one of the country’s accomplished athletes Krishna Jayasankar setting a new indoor national record in the women’s shot-put category.
Her throw of 16.03m in the recently held Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championship in USA March 1 has set a world record and etched a new page in the books of our glorious history. The record although is yet to be ratified.
Krishna became the first ever Indian woman in the long-standing course of the game to breach and cross the 16-metre mark in indoor shot put, with her record-breaking throw. She beat the previously held record of 15.54m set by Poornarao Rane during a 2023 Championship event.
He young woman, who hails from the southern state of Tamil Nadu achieved her best throw in her final attempt to clinch a bronze medal. She is an emerging player, and daughter of two former Indian basketball players Jayasankar Menon and Prasanna.
Her father in her statement to the press expressed her delight and hoped for the daughter to achieve many more milestones in her sporting career ahead. “I am happy that her hard work is paying off. She has been away from the family for quite some time, and it is not easy. Apart from looking after her studies, she does part-time work. She has to concentrate on her training as well. Hopefully, she will be able to perform much better going forward.”
She was in the fourth place until the penultimate round, but with her grit and composed presence she ultimately secured a podium finish with her final throw attempt. Krishna initially commenced her professional training under a highly decorated Jamaican coach Michael Wessel in Andhra Pradesh. In 2021, she shifted her base to Jamaica along with her coach and continued her training there.
As a matter of fact, Krishna stepped into her college journey at The University of Texas and then moved to the University of Nevada in her second year, both in USA. Post her preliminary contact with the sport, Krishna started training at the Reliance Academy in Mumbai which played an integral role in providing the necessary corrections and improvements to level up her output in the game.
My Perspective:
Some of the other popular female players in the world of shot put are Manpreet Kaur, Kiran Baliyan, Bhagyashree Jadhav and Abha Khatua. Abha’s national record of 18.41m set at the Federation Cup 2024 tournament still remains unbeaten to date.
With another young female rising on the block, it is a matter of time we see Krishna spreading her wings with flying colours and making shot put a popular sport through her achievements to come.
Shot Put as an indoor sport has been garnering attention from youngsters and amateurs to take it up professionally. However, in the current generation of active players, the future does look bleak and hazy. While former national record holder Manpreet Kaur continues to struggle with regaining her form, Kiran Baliyan has been charged with an alleged suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. What evolves in the sport’s future trajectory is something only time will tell.
