On Monday, shot putter Manpreet Kaur completed a hat-trick of achievements. She broke her own 2015 national record with a throw of 18.86m at the Asian Grand Prix in Jinhua, China. The result earned her gold and also helped her qualify for the World Championships in London in August 2017. She spent the rest of the day fielding congratulatory phone calls. While most were congratulatory, one wasn't. It was from her 5-year-old daughter Jashnoor.

"She wasn't happy that I was in China. I had told her I would be going for eight days but she had calculated that I would be gone for ten," says Kaur. "Jashnoor is at an age where she wants me to be around her but it's not something I can always manage," says Kaur who previously took a three year break from the sport in 2010 after her marriage and the birth of her daughter.

Her daughter's disapproval seems to be a poor reward for Kaur's achievement. Her throw of 18.86m was nearly a meter more than the previous national record, of 17.96m she set at the 2015 Nationals. The mark was good enough to enable her to qualify for the World Championships in London in August this year. To put some perspective on the magnitude of her feat, Kaur's throw is the best by any shotputter this year. It's 32 centimeters more than the next best -- by Rio Olympic gold medallist Michelle Carter.

Kaur was the first Indian woman to qualify for the shot put event at the Olympics. She finished only 23rd in Rio, with a substandard throw of 17.06m. However, even that mark should be seen in the context of the official apathy that has long plagued Indian sports. She had nearly been forced to compete in the event without a coach. She claimed an official had told her that since she wasn't expected to win a medal, there was no point sending a coach along with her.

Neeraj, Dutee win silver Meanwhile, World Youth champion Neeraj Chopra won a silver in the javelin throw of the same event. Chopra threw 82.11m to finish second, but failed to meet the 83m qualification mark for the championships in London. He still has several opportunities to qualify for the event in August, including Grand Prix events in Jinxiang and Chinese Taipei, Asian GP in India and the Asian Championships in July. His personal best is 86.48m, which he threw at the World Youth Championships at Bydgoszcz, Poland. Five other Indians won medals at the Asian GP. Neena Varakil, Dutee Chand, Tintu Luka and Jinson Johnson took silver medals, while Om Prakash claimed a shot put bronze with a throw of 18.41m.

Kaur was travelling without her coach for the Asian Grand Prix too. But this time she wasn't as hamstrung by his absence. "Ahead of the Olympics I was in Rio for fifteen days without a coach so it was difficult to train by myself. At the Asian Grand Prix, it has only been two days since I left India so it is not so much of a problem," she says.

Competing in her first competition since the Olympics, Kaur, was in strong form at Jinhua. She hefted the iron ball to 18.03m in her third attempt, which by itself would have been a new national record and good enough to clinch gold before improving it to 18.86m in her fourth throw.

Kaur says she was expecting to do well. "I had been throwing well in practice so I was confident of throwing around 18 and a half meters," she says. However, she had not been expecting to compete so early in the season. The Asian Grand Prix in Jinhua is the first of a three-leg series that includes competitions in Jinxiang and Chinese Taipei. "I wasn't keen on competing at the Asian Grand Prix. I wanted to train in Patiala for some more time before I went for the Asian Championships in July. I only decided to go because there was no competition for me in India. So I was looking to get some competition outside," she says.

As it turns out there was little of that in Jinhua. It will be far harder for her at the London World's especially now that she has thrown a world leading mark. "There will be a lot of pressure on me," she admits. But it's something she expects to deal with. Her daughter will be another matter, however. "I'll have to get her some gifts to make her feel better again," she says.