Glasgow: Childbirth is often described as an athlete's toughest comeback. For the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Indian discus thrower Seema Kaliramna, the real battle began after she became a mother.
Weeks after giving birth to her son Rudra in 2022, Seema developed arthritis, an inflammatory disease that attacked the very joints a discus thrower relies on to generate power. The pain was so severe that lifting everyday objects became difficult, let alone hurling a one-kilogram disc across a field.
Four years later, she stood on the Commonwealth Games podium.
"After pregnancy, I had arthritis due to which a lot of complications came," the 27-year-old told PTI.
The comeback was anything but straightforward.
Her husband, Ravinder Kaliramna, a former national champion whose own career ended prematurely because of injuries, suddenly found himself coaching an athlete whose greatest opponent was no longer inside the throwing circle.
"I didn't even know such a thing existed," he said. "We were so clueless. I did a lot of research, tried Ayurveda bacause this is something that is not curable, one can only manage it."
The couple changed everything.
"She had to avoid sour food like achaar and lemon. We started including things in her diet that were beneficial for her.
"All her joints hurt. She couldn't lift anything. Slowly, slowly she started working out."
The progress came in inches rather than metres.
Before motherhood, Seema's personal best stood at 48.08 metres. She returned to competition in 2024. She hurled the discus to career-best 59.73 metres at the Indian Championships earlier this year. In Glasgow, her bronze winning throw was 58.65m.
While rebuilding her body, Seema was also working towards a PhD in Physical Education at Chaudhary Bansi Lal University in Bhiwani.
Her research examines how imagery and self-talk influence athletic performance, concepts that became deeply personal as she navigated rehabilitation.
"My paper is also on visualisation and manifestation. How thinking negatively or positively can affect an athlete," she said.
Motherhood, meanwhile, reshaped every aspect of her life beyond sport.
"My son is getting older. He wants to be with us. It is difficult," she said.
Before she left for Scotland, Rudra had only one request.
"He said, 'Mummy, please bring a medal.' That's his toy."
Daughter of a former basketball player and javelin thrower, who served in the Indian Army, Seema has balanced sport, academic research and raising a young child without the security of a job.
"I don't have a job," she said.
