Indian woman discus trio make history in Commonwealth Games - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

India's long wait for an athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games came to an end on Monday night with Iron woman Krishna Poonia scripting history to lift the women's discus throw gold in athletics event since Milkha Singh won the 440 yards race in 1958. India also celebrated its first sweep of all the medals in Commonwealth Games history with Krishna Poonia winning gold, Harwant Kaur bagging silver and Seema Antil taking the bronze in the same event. Newspapers in the national capital highlighted that the sacrifice of Poonia, who has not seen her eight-year-old Lakshya Raj in nearly six months, paid off on Monday as she threw the iron disc to a distance of 61.51 metres to lead an Indian 1-2-3 at the 2010 Games. This is India 's only second gold in athletics' in the Commonwealth Games after Milkha Singh gave the country its first triumph in the 400m at the Edmonton Games in 1958. Poonia, 28, who is coached by former World Champion Macwilkins in the US and by her husband Virender Poonia (a former hammer thrower), opened her campaign with a 61.51 metres throw, which took the pressure of her. She later fouled the next two and could measure only 58.80 metres in her fourth attempt. The fifth throw was also a foul, and she measured a less distance of 58.27 in her last attempt, but her first throw proved to be the best to ensure her the gold with other throwers unable to reach anywhere near her best. By the third round of the throw, Harwant Kaur and national record-holder Seema Antil came up with their best throws of 60.16 metres and 58.46 metres following which it became an all-India event after that.