Asian Games 2026: Who Is Manpreet Kaur? Meet the Indian Shot Put star who won bronze
Indian shot put athlete Manpreet Kaur clinched the bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games with a best throw of 17.17m, adding another major international medal to her career.
India's athletics contingent added another medal to its tally at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with Manpreet Kaur securing a bronze medal in the women's shot put event. The Patiala-born athlete delivered a best throw of 17.17 metres, earning India another podium finish in a competition dominated by China's throwers.
Her latest achievement has once again brought attention to one of India's most experienced shot put athletes, who has consistently represented the country on the international stage over the past few years.
Meet Manpreet Kaur, girl who won bronze in Shot Put in Asian Games 2026?Manpreet Kaur is an Indian shot put athlete from Patiala, Punjab, who has built a strong reputation in national and international athletics. She has represented India at major competitions, including the Asian Athletics Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and National Inter-State Championships.
Known for her consistency in the women's shot put event, Manpreet has steadily added international medals to her career while remaining one of India's leading throwers.
Bronze Medal at the 2026 Asian GamesOn Friday at the 2026 Asian Games, Manpreet produced her best throw of 17.17m to claim the bronze medal in the women's shot put final.
China's Jiayuan Song won the gold medal, while Zhang Linru took silver, leaving Manpreet in third place on the podium. Her bronze contributed to India's growing medal tally, which reached 20 medals during the early stages of the Games, including two gold, eight silver, and ten bronze medals.
Although her throw was below her season's best, it was enough to secure another important continental medal for India.
Career Built on ConsistencyThis is not the first time Manpreet has stood on an international podium. She previously won a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, marking one of the biggest milestones in her career.
At the 2023 Asian Games, she narrowly missed a medal after finishing fifth in the women's shot put event. Since then, she has continued to improve her performances and returned to the Asian Games podium in Aichi-Nagoya. Her personal best remains 18.06m, recorded in 2022, while her season's best of 17.75m came earlier this year when she won the National Inter-State Championships.
Recent Performances Before the Asian GamesBefore arriving in Aichi-Nagoya, Manpreet competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she finished fourth with a throw of 17.49m. While she narrowly missed the podium there, the performance showed that she remained in strong competitive form ahead of the Asian Games.
Her bronze medal in Japan became another valuable addition to her growing list of international achievements.
Valuable Medal for IndiaManpreet's success came during a busy day for Indian athletics, with fellow Indian thrower Krishna Jayasankar Menon also competing in the women's shot put final.
As India continued collecting medals across athletics, shooting, table tennis, mixed martial arts, and cricket, Manpreet's podium finish highlighted the country's strength in field events as well.
For the Patiala athlete, the 2026 Asian Games bronze is another significant chapter in a career defined by persistence, consistency, and repeated appearances on the international stage, reinforcing her place among India's most accomplished women's shot put athletes.