When Seema Kaliramna lined up for the women's discus throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, you could have been forgiven for mistaking her for someone other an athlete competing in the event. Bespectacled, wearing a bindi on her forehead and a beanie to keep warm in windy Glasgow, she looked more like an academician who had accidentally wandered over onto a sports field. (Spoiler alert: She is)
The first throw didn't help that image: the discus failing to launch and getting stuck in the net around the throwing circle.
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But then, came the athlete. After that first throw, she needed to calm herself and try again. She needed to do what the best athletes do in these circumstances: let the negative go and focus on the future. Easier said than done, of course (unless you've done extensive studies on it, more on that coming up).
Her second throw was 57.32m, not bad but it wasn't good enough to put her in medal contention. She was off the mark, though. On her third throw, she flung it the furthest she would at 58.65m, not as good as her personal best of 59.73, but after everything good enough for bronze.
As the results were finalized, Seema had added a very important milestone to her already impressive resume: PhD scholar, mother, post-pregnancy arthritis survivor, National Games champion, and now a Commonwealth Games medallist.
And all of it is inter-connected. For the 27-year-old to medal here on Thursday, with the conditions brutal and the competition tough, she had to lean in hard on something dear to her: her PhD research, 'The impact of imaginary and positive self-talk on athlete's performance.' Perhaps she should submit her bronze medal as the thesis that proves its impact.
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"My first throw was a foul, it went into the net. At such a time, a person who hasn't worked on this will feel under pressure. [but] I worked on it, I was positive, I didn't take any pressure and fought with a free mind," she tells ESPN from Glasgow. That seemed to make all the difference, as in a field with four throwers who had personal bests better than her and where she got only two correct throws, she managed to make her shot count.
'Make her shot count' could well be her life motto. The 27-year-old from Bhiwani in Haryana started sport because she was... greedy. "In 2010, there was a scheme called SPAT in which children were given Rs 1500 every month for sports. My teachers told me to participate in it and I got selected. There was a nursey in the village with a coach and I started discus there."
"Soon, I got a medal in the district and then when I went to the state, they gave us kits, which I liked a lot. When I won a medal in the state [competition], they gave me some prizes, like a bottle, a shaker. I thought, if I do better, then maybe I will get something better. At that time, it was greed, aur woh laalach kab discipline ban gayi, pata hi nahi chala. [when that greed changed into discipline, I didn't even know]," she recounts.
That discipline, for the last 16 years, has been the bedrock of Seema's life and career. Her husband Ravinder, who is also her coach - ("my father found him", she says, when asked how the coach and athlete pairing came about) - has been her biggest support. From training her, taking care of her athletics needs, and even arranging for clips so that her hair doesn't fly during competitors, he does it all.
Their biggest achievement together, though, may just be how Ravinder helped her recover from post-pregnancy arthritis. Their son Rudra was born in 2022, and while it was one of the happiest moments of their life, what came after was a low point.
"After delivery, I had arthritis. It affected the small joints, and I used to cry in pain. I couldn't even pick up my son." For an athlete, a bone condition like that while also recovering post-partum can signal the final curtains coming down. But not the Kaliramnas.
They consulted doctors, who said she will need steroid injections and even then, may not be cured properly. "My husband refused the injections, he said we will go to the ground, start from the beginning and will slowly increase the strength and get better."
Whether through the power of positive talk or simple willpower of an athlete, that's exactly what happened. Seema got even better than she was before the birth of her son. Her personal best improved and by 2025, she was back among India's best.
A major international medal, though, is a whole different milestone. "I had played Asian Championship in 2025 and missed a medal by just 16 cm. But I had that experience with me - how to warm up the body, how to throw, how to be calm." She has a gold at the South Asian Athletics Championships too, but a CWG medal shines a brighter spotlight on both her struggles and her unique story.
When asked about the impact, her answer is a message on behalf of athletes. "I just want to say to whoever can sponsor someone, please help the [athlete] when they need it the most. Because at times, we don't know what phase they are in and sometimes even Rs 10,000, can make a big difference, so please help."
She is currently supported by Sports Authority of India and had signed with JSW Sports last year which helps with travel and accommodation. Along with this, she has the full support of her family, but her message is for the others who don't have this kind of access. "I couldn't have done anything without my family's support," she says. Rudra is a child with many homes, sometimes he stays with his paternal grandparents, sometimes maternal and when he misses his parents, he asks for someone to bring him to the SAI Centre in Patiala where Seema trains.
Her life is a balancing act with so many roles to play, but one that she chooses every day, and how she has managed her family and studies and sport is an inspiration.
She can't take much time out to dwell on this medal though. Bigger targets are coming up next, and she is now focused on medalling at the Asian Games as well. With her willpower and positivity, it's not hard to imagine her making that dream come true as well.
