With limited facilities for shot put, Kiran lives her coach Robin’s dream, wins Asian Games medal

Chandigarh: Robin Singh was an upcoming shot putter and showed his class in the junior national circuit. He also had three podium finishes in the age-group national championships. But he couldn't get the desired support and got off track. Then, a major accident riding a bullet left him stuck in the car and dragged for over a distance, leading to hospitalisation for over three months. It took almost a year to get back on his feet. So, his sports career couldn't take flight again, and he decided to live his dreams through his trainees.

For over a decade, Robin has been giving free coaching for shot put in Meerut. On Saturday evening, his trainee Kiran Baliyan, 24, scripted history by winning a medal for India in women’s shot put at the Asian Games after a gap of 72 years. With this medal, she also opened the country's account in athletics at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games.

Kiran threw the 4kg iron ball to a distance of 17.36m, securing the bronze. The Chinese duo of reigning Olympic champions Lijio Gong and Jiayuan Song won the gold and silver, respectively.

"It's like a dream come true. Kiran has made all of us proud, and I can assure you that this Asian Games medal will motivate more girls from Meerut and around to excel in athletics," says coach Robin Singh, 32, who trains youngsters for free at Kailash Prakash stadium in Meerut.

"We have very limited facilities for throwers here. We don't have proper weight training equipment at the stadium, and weights are essential for throwers, especially shot put. The circle for throwing training is also not up to the mark. We have to struggle and fight at every step to continue our training. Despite the hurdles, we are putting in our best efforts, and Kiran's podium finish in the Asian Games speaks volumes about our hardships. I hope now that the centre will get some facilities," adds coach Robin, who also does farming for a living.

As Robin is not part of the national camp, so he took a rented accommodation near the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, for over three weeks, so that he could support and guide his trainee Kiran in the last leg of the coaching camp before leaving for the Asian Games.   

"Even Kiran's parents have a lot of contributions to her sports career. Her father is a traffic constable with Meerut police, and before Kiran got a job as a Sub-inspector in Rajasthan Police last year, her father had to take a loan to fund her training. Shot put requires a decent amount of money for regular supplements and a rich diet. Kiran's mother travels with her everywhere in the domestic circuit," says coach Robin.

Competing in her first international competition in the senior category, Kiran proved her class. In the absence of her personal coach (Robin), she sought help from seasoned discus thrower Seema Antil Punia during her event in the Asian Games.

"Robin sir has played a significant role in shaping my career in the shot put. I owe my achievements to him, and it's only because of him that I am able to reach this far. He is so passionate about the sport that he wants his trainees to excel at the top level, and he provides coaching for free," says elated Kiran.

"As this was my first competition, and Robin sir was not around, so I sought help from my senior discus thrower Seema Didi. She was with me during the warm-up for the event and also stood in the coach's gallery during the event. Seema didi's support helped me realize my coach's dream of producing an Asian Games medalist from his centre," adds Kiran. "As it was my first major event, I was under pressure, but Seema didi guided me well in time.”

Namesake error - switching from javelin to shot put 

Kiran's introduction to the sports world was through javelin. On the advice of a neighbour, Kiran's mother enrolled her in javelin at a sports complex in Meerut in 2013. However, it was a namesake error that led her to get involved in the shot put.

"Since her childhood, Kiran has had a strong body, so on the advice of a neighbour, we introduced her to javelin throw. But due to a namesake error, she got an entry in the shot put event for a North Zone Championship in 2014 instead of another girl named Kiran, whose father's name was also Satish. Before that, she had never experienced shot put, but she decided to compete in the event, and as there were only three girls, she won the bronze medal, paving her way into the shot put," remembers her mother, Boby.

Kiran's first medal in the junior national came in 2015, and two years later, she won her first junior national title.

She also won the South Asian U-20 Championships in Colombo, and her first senior national title was in the Federation Cup in Patiala in 2021.

Kiran crossed the 17m mark for the first time during her gold medal performance in the 2022 National Games in Gujarat with a throw of 17.14m. She also won the National Inter-State Championship in Bhubaneswar in June of that year with a throw of 17.17m, and during the Indian Grand Prix in Chandigarh on September 10, she recorded her personal best of 17.92m.

Kiran had a fracture in the ankle of her right leg during a training session in May, and the plaster was on for three weeks. However, she continued with upper body strength training and later won gold in the Inter-state meet in Bhubaneswar.

"I couldn’t study beyond the eighth grade and got married when I was just 18. But I want Kiran to explore her life and achieve something. Today, she has made the entire country proud of her. Kiran's coach, Robin, has a major role to play in her success at Hangzhou. Everything she has achieved is all because of her coach," says the proud mother.