Some athletes carry one story. Haryana's Seema Kaliramna carries several — a PhD scholar navigating rigorous academic research, a mother whose four-year-old son lives away from her while she trains, a woman who has fought arthritis into remission with sheer willpower and coaching support, and, most recently, a bronze medallist in discus throw at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow. In an exclusive interaction with IANS, Seema opened up about her extraordinary balancing act, her CWG comeback moment, and her clear next target — the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
For Seema, the CWG bronze is a milestone — not a destination. "My next focus is on the Asian Games. I have won a bronze at the Commonwealth Games; now my focus lies on changing the colour of the medal at the Asian Games," she said.
Her ambition is significant. Asian Games discus throw fields include some of the strongest global-level competitors, and pushing beyond a bronze into silver or gold requires not just physical readiness but a mental sharpness few athletes fully cultivate.
The CWG Comeback Nobody Saw
The bronze medal at Glasgow didn't come easy. Her very first throw hit the nets — a moment that could have unravelled a less-prepared athlete. But for Seema, that's exactly when her research kicked in.
"I was not worried at all after my first throw hit the net. I knew I had five throws. My second throw went to something around 57m, but I told myself that I have four more throws left and I have to do my best in them," she recalled.
By the third throw, she had propelled the discus to 58.65m — the effort that ultimately handed her the bronze medal.
Where Research Meets the Ring
The story deepens when you know the title of Seema's PhD research: 'Impact of Imaginary and Positive Self-Talk Training on Athletes' Performance.' The research is not academic ornamentation. It is the actual tool she used to steady herself when her first throw failed.
"If I had not been mentally prepared, I would not have been able to nail my other throws well," she said. "The topic of my PhD is 'Impact of Imaginary and Positive Self-Talk Training on Athletes' Performance.' I have been applying this to myself and have yielded results from that, including in the CWG 2026."
In effect, Seema turned her own body into a live case study for her research — and the case study came back with a medal.
The Arthritis Battle Nobody Saw
The story becomes even more powerful once you learn what came before Glasgow. Seema battled arthritis after the birth of her son in 2022 — a condition that ravaged her strength. She dropped from a training weight of 80-85 kg down to 50-55 kg. Doctors advised steroids, warning that arthritis of that intensity could only be managed, not cured.
Her husband, Ravinder — who is also her coach — refused to accept that verdict.
"Arthritis made me weak. I lost weight from 80-85 kg to 50-55 kg. But my husband supported me so well at that time. I was advised by the doctor to take steroids, saying, 'We can't cure this properly and can only maintain it,'" she said.
"But my husband supported me a lot. He told me that 'we will practice and train, which will help me build muscle and it might bring the arthritis pain down a lot'. And that was true; the arthritis pain is not permanent now. It comes only a few times," she added.
That husband-coach partnership is now one of the most quietly remarkable stories in Indian athletics — a story of physical rehabilitation built on trust rather than pharmacology.
The Ongoing Dietary Watch
Even today, Seema has to remain deeply aware of what she consumes. "During my recent Silver Continental tour, I had swelling in my hands and legs. I did not understand what I ate that led to this swelling. 2-3 days later, I figured out what caused my hands to swell. So I left that, and the swelling went away after a couple of days. So I have to stay vigilant about what to eat and what not to. Arthritis issues do come at times. But it is better now."
That single quote captures the daily discipline elite athletes with chronic conditions live by — a level of self-monitoring most fans never see.
Balancing Three Full-Time Roles
The physical strength is there. The mental toughness is there. But the logistics of being an athlete, a PhD scholar and a mother simultaneously demand a system — and Seema has built one, with strong family support.
"Study has never been a barrier to sports. We have rest on Saturday and Sunday, so I work on my PhD on those days or on other rest days. My family has been very supportive of me. My son's grandparents take care of my son, so I receive help from them," she said.
Backed by the Inspire Institute of Sport, she has been able to structure her training in a way that keeps her academic pursuit alive without compromising performance.
A Mother's Absence, and a Son Who Travels
Perhaps the most emotional dimension of Seema's story is the distance from her son. Training keeps her rooted in Patiala, while her son remains in Bhiwani with his grandparents.
"My son travels to Patiala (training place) with his grandparents. He stays here 2-3 days and then leaves," she said. A few days of togetherness. A few days of goodbyes. All while chasing a life-defining career on the world's biggest athletic stages.
Why It Matters
Seema Kaliramna's story challenges every neat narrative Indian sports coverage tends to fall back on. She is not just an athlete overcoming an injury. She is a woman actively pursuing higher education while competing at global level, raising a child from afar, and using her own scholarly research to gain competitive edge. For India's next generation of female athletes — many of whom have historically been forced to choose between family, education and sport — her example reframes what's possible.
Industry Impact
Her journey is also a case study in support infrastructure. Institutions like the Inspire Institute of Sport, coach-family units built around trust and shared knowledge, and academic pathways that respect athletic schedules are the invisible infrastructure that turns talent into medals. Seema's success spotlights how these systems, when they work, can deliver world-class results even from athletes navigating layered personal challenges.
The Bigger Picture
At Aichi-Nagoya, Seema Kaliramna will step into the discus circle carrying more than her throwing form. She will carry the psychological research she has authored, the muscle she has rebuilt against arthritis, the emotional distance she has endured from her son, and the quiet mentorship of a coach who happens to also be her husband. Whether she takes silver or gold, one thing is already clear — India's discus story has found itself an athlete who is not just chasing a medal, but redefining what a medallist can look like. And her research paper is already halfway through writing itself, one throw at a time.
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