CWG discus throw gold medallist, Krishna Poonia looking for a repeat performance today before dashing off to be with her son Lakshyaraj

Krishna Pooniya hopes to repeat her performance at the Asian Games

CWG discus throw gold medallist, Krishna Poonia looking for a repeat performance today before dashing off to be with her son Lakshyaraj
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India's Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning discus thrower, Krishna Poonia has a well-defined lakshya as she takes to the Aoti Sports Complex's athletics track and field today for her pet event. And even as the first step of that lakshya involves bringing glory for India by winning a medal, she is equally keen to get home to be with her eight-year-old son Lakshyaraj.

u00a0"I've hardly ever been home with him in the last few years because I'm either training or participating in a competition. He has almost grown up without me. However, this is the time of the year ufffd when the athletics season draws to a close ufffd when I look forward to going home to him," Poonia told MiD DAY after a training session at the Aoti Sports Complex here.

Ask her to tell us a bit more about her son and the doting mother is only glad to continue.

Pampered
"He is a pampered little brat. Since, me and my husband (Virender Singh Poonia, her coach) both are away for most of the time, our parents give Lakshyaraj everything he wants. He is busy playing throughout the day and obviously does not like his books too much," added the Doha Asian Games bronze medal winner.

What disturbs the Arjuna awardee most, however, is the fact that the boy is so used to being without her now that even when she calls home, he refuses to talk to her. "Sometimes when I call for him on the line, he just says 'no I don't want to talk and runs away'. That really hurts. And whenever he does talk and I ask him about school and his lessons, he refuses to tell me anything. That's when I sometimes feel that I should just run back home. But the country is also important," she says even as her eyes moisten.

The focus for the Indian here is a medal ufffd and in all probability a gold. And given her best throw of 63.69m has her in second place behind China's Yanfeng Li's 65.83m among the season's best throws of the seven-member discus line-up here, the yellow metal sure is a possibility, else a silver is assured. "My best throw this season is 63.69m while for the CWG gold I had hurled 61.53m. If I get somewhere in between the two, I should be in line for a medal and I would love it to be the gold," said Poonia.

Thereafter of course it's the first flight home to Jaipur to her bundle of joy. "He's very fond of dosas but I don't know how to make them. I'll make him some alu parathas instead. He loves them too," she signs off with a broad smile.

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