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What's the story?
In a sad turn of events for Indian weightlifter Punam Yadav, her exclusion from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) is now going to be followed by an exclusion from the Indian contingent set to travel to Jakarta for the 2018 Asian Games.
On account of her sudden absence from the camp organised by the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF), the 22-year-old will not be permitted to join the national camp slated to be held in Patiala to rub further salt into the wound.
In case you didn't know...
The talented weightlifter from Uttar Pradesh won the gold medal at the Gold Coast in the 69kg category which followed her bronze medal finish in the 63kg category at the 2014 Glasgow games.
The heart of the matter
The young weightlifter has found herself in a bit of soup after getting into a land dispute only a week after her gold medal win in the 2018 CWG and has now found herself deeper in trouble with her absence from the TOP scheme, which provides cash incentives for the elite group of athletes.
Speaking of the sudden turn of events, Vijay Sharma, the national weightlifting coach, told Sportskeeda, "See, the thing with Punam is, she has attended camp for only two days after CWG. She was asked to join the camp but she didn't. Now, the trials will be held in June and the Federation's rule is, any lifter who is not in the camp cannot take part in the trials."
"So, yes it will be very difficult for her. But the ultimate decision lies with the federation," he added. He also mentioned, "I think, Rakhi Halder, who takes part in 63 kg usually, can be her replacement. She weighs around 65-66kg at the moment. So, I think she will be able to compete in the 69kg category," citing a possible replacement for Punam.
What's next?
Punam's suspension after the recent series of events has certainly squashed her Asiad dreams and could well place her 2020 Tokyo Olympics participation in the doldrums.
Author's Take
Punam's moratorium could prove to be a huge dent in the 22-year-old's career and one can only hope that she comes back stronger to bring back laurels for the country one day.
