A mother and PhD scholar: Meet CWG bronze medallist discus thrower Seema Kaliramna
New Delhi, July 31
Seema Kaliramna, a daughter of a former basketball player and javelin thrower in the Indian Army, won the bronze medal in women's discus throw at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Thursday, taking India's tally in athletics up to four.
The 27-year-old athlete had only two valid throws in six rounds as she repeatedly had the disc entangled in the side netting. The podium marked the first major international medal for Seema, who is also a PhD aspirant and a mother of a four-year-old boy Rudra.
Motherhood, in fact, has coincided with Seema's growth into a top athlete. Before her son Rudra was born in 2022, her personal best was 48.08m. She returned to competitive discus throw after 11 months break in 2024 and improved it to 57.19m before hitting 59.73m at the Indian Championships in Bhubaneshwar earlier this year.
Seema, who is coached by her husband Ravinder Kaliramna, who is one of India's leading discus throw athletes and had won gold medals in the discus throw at the Indian U-18 and U-20 championships, is pursuing a Ph.D. in Physical Education at Chaudhary Bansi Lal University (CBLU), Bhiwani, alongside her sporting career.
Her athletic career faced a major setback when a serious knee injury sidelined her for more than three years. Through extensive rehabilitation and perseverance, Seema made a successful return to competition and re-established herself among the country's top discus throwers.
She won the gold medal at the 2025 National Games and later claimed the national title. Her comeback was highlighted by winning the gold medal at the 2026 South Asian Athletics Championships and delivering a series of strong performances on the national circuit.
In 2026, Seema achieved a personal best throw of 59.73m, emerging as one of India's top performers in the event and securing qualification for the 2026 Asian Games as well as selection to India's Commonwealth Games squad.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is a remarkable comeback story. I love how she improved her personal best after becoming a mother — I think having a child gave her a new motivation. Great to see women supporting athletes in India, and her husband coaching her is fantastic teamwork!
Hats off to Seema! As a working mom, I know how hard it is to manage one thing, let alone training, studying, and raising a toddler. She's a role model for all Indian women. But I do hope the government and sports authorities give her better support — athletes like her deserve more recognition and funding.
Brilliant performance! The injury setback could have ended her career, but she fought back like a champion. 59.73m is a solid throw, and with the Asian Games coming up, I think she can go even further. Her husband coaching her is the sweetest thing — true desi power couple! 💪
Impressive resilience! Coming back from a three-year injury layoff and then improving her personal best by over 11 meters shows incredible dedication. It's stories like these that make the Commonwealth Games special. Congrats to Seema and her family!
As someone from Haryana, I'm so proud to see our girls excelling in sports. The fact that she's also a PhD scholar proves that athletes can be academically brilliant too — no one can say she's 'just a sportswoman.' Congratulations Seema, you've made the whole state proud! 🎉
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