Aichi-Nagoya: Manpreet Kaur became the third Indian woman to win an Asian Games medal in the shot put, securing bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Friday with a best throw of 17.17m.
The 36-year-old Railways athlete finished behind Chinese duo Song Jiayuan and Zhang Linru, who claimed gold and silver respectively. Manpreet’s bronze adds her name to a select group of Indian women who have stood on the Asian Games podium in the event.
Before Manpreet, only Barbara Webster in 1951 and Kiran Baliyan in 2023 had won Asian Games medals in the women’s shot put for India. Both athletes had also secured bronze.
Manpreet did not have the smoothest start to the competition. Her opening throw measured 16.32m, leaving her with work to do as the field began to establish itself. However, she gradually found her rhythm, improving her mark with each successive attempt.
The breakthrough came with her fourth throw, when she finally crossed the 17-metre mark with 17.17m. That effort proved crucial and effectively secured her place on the podium.
For Manpreet, the medal comes after a long career at the top level of Indian shot put. Her lifetime best remains 18.06m, a mark she produced in 2022 that was also the Indian national record at the time.
Her 2026 season had already shown signs of a strong return to form. At Indian Series-5 in Sangrur, Manpreet won gold with a season-best 17.33m, producing what was then the best throw by an Indian woman in nearly two years. Her performance was also her best throw in almost three years.
The Indian national record has since moved beyond that mark. Abha Khatua’s 18.41m, recorded in 2024, stands as the current national record according to the information provided.
At the Asian Games, however, Manpreet’s task was not simply about chasing her personal best. She had to remain competitive against a strong Chinese contingent, with Song establishing control of the competition from the very first round.
Song led after her opening throw and strengthened her position with a season-best 19.40m on her second attempt. The performance continued China’s extraordinary dominance in the event at the Asian Games, with the country claiming its 13th consecutive women’s shot put gold.
Zhang Linru completed the Chinese one-two, leaving Manpreet to fight for bronze.
India also had another representative in the final, with Krishna Jayasankar Menon finishing fifth. Her best effort measured 16.57m, putting two Indian athletes inside the top five of the competition.
For Manpreet, the result marks another significant chapter in a career that has spanned more than a decade. At 36, she was able to produce when it mattered most, recovering from a modest opening throw and building her series before finding the 17-metre mark with her fourth attempt.
The 17.17m was well short of her lifetime best of 18.06m, but it was enough to deliver an Asian Games medal and place her alongside Webster and Baliyan as the only Indian women to have won a shot put medal at the continental Games.
After Kiran Baliyan’s bronze in 2023, Manpreet has now ensured that India has won medals in the women’s shot put at consecutive Asian Games.
For the Railways athlete, Friday’s bronze was a reward for persistence and a reminder of her longevity in Indian athletics.
Manpreet Kaur — 17.17m, Asian Games bronze.
At 36, she has added another major medal to her career and written her name into the history of Indian women’s shot put.