Tracking 2008

BAD TIMING
For one, the timing of the meet seems ill-conceived. Coming barely a fortnight after the Olympics, it was marred by bad weather and a depleted field; that led to mediocre performances and, given the high-handedness of organisers who did away with the victory ceremonies on the concluding day, left a sour note.

‘‘Who gains from holding the Nationals after the Olympics’’, wonders PT Usha at what seems like a case of putting the cart before the horse. ‘‘It is a pointless exercise. Look how much importance is given to the American Games. Previously, the national squad was picked after the Inter-State meet and the Nationals, followed by a selection camp.’’

AFI secretary Lalit Bhanot agrees that corrective measures should be taken to improve the scheduling. ‘‘We have drawn a calendar upto 2010 which of course will be fine-tuned. I must confess that there are areas which can be improved.’’

WAY BELOW PAR
Because of the timing, the lack of top-rung participation led to the likes of discus thrower Neelam Jaswant Singh settling for the top spot with a heave of 57.21 metres, way behind her personal best of 64.55.

That the athletes didn’t go for the jugular was understandable. Since most were representing their respective employers, a medal mattered more than a national record as it would lead to better pay scales.

THE SILVER LINING
There were, however, exceptions like pole-vaulter V Suresh Surekha and high jumper Sahana Kumari. Surekha battled a shoulder pain to better her own National record while Sahana went on to equal Bobby Aloysius’s meet record (1.81m) in her quest to scale a mental barrier. Indeed, the most memorable moment was an inconsolable Sahana after failing to leap 1.86m — an athlete who desperately wanted to end the season on a high so she could begin the next year with ‘‘fresh goals’’.

Former national sprint champion Adille Sumariwalla, the meet’s organising secretary, prefers to look at the positives he believes came out of the meet. ‘‘From a spectator point of view, there weren’t any great performances but see the number of new champions we have unearthed in the absence of stars.’’

Bangalore steeplechaser Laxman Bharathi (21), Preeja Sreedharan (22) in the 5000m, armymen Sarish Paul, Josemon Mathew, Chatholi Hamza and Jagannath Lakde (all runners) were among those with a bright future.

So it hasn’t been a bad exercise after all?

‘‘Of course not’’, argues Sumariwalla. By throwing up new champions, the meet has suddenly created a bigger, competitive field. And it’s this steady supply of talent that the AFI is looking at for an Olympic medal.

‘‘Earlier we had only a Milkha Singh, or a PT Usha to look up to in an Olympics. Now see how the number has grown. We never had so many finalists as we did at Athens’’, observes Sumariwalla, who is also the vice-president of the AFI and a national selector.

‘‘Of course, I am disappointed with the Indian performance but I am not disheartened. I strongly feel that we are inching closer to a medal’’, he says.

QUALITY VS QUANTITY
Which brings us to the least savoury part of Indian athletics — the training module. How effective is it and why this fixation with the CIS? ‘‘Because they (coaches) come cheap’’, says Sumariwalla. Europe and the US are too expensive for the AFI.

In that case, shouldn’t the AFI sacrifice quantity for quality — in effect, cutting down on the number of disciplines and focusing on those where medal chances are brighter.

STRENGTH IN DEPTH
‘‘I don’t agree with that logic’’, says Bhanot. ‘‘I don’t care what people say but we at the AFI believe that unless we have the depth we can never dominate at international level. Before the Olympics, who had heard of athletes like Manjit Kaur or Chitra Soman? But they made it to the Olympics final. Look at the last Asian Games (held in Busan 2002). We won medals in sprints, middle-distance, high jump, long jump, the throws and even heptathlon. With such a range it will be foolish to concentrate on only a few disciplines.’’

Usha believes a better idea would be to send coaches to either Europe or the US to learn the new methods of training which they in turn can pass it on to their wards. She warns, though, that the move could fall flat if the right coaches — dedicated and intelligent — are not selected. ‘‘Coaches should have an emotional attachment to their wards. They should treat them like their own children. Besides, they should be made accountable too. The foreign trip should not be a picnic; he/she should be asked to produce results too.’’

That’s not feasible, says Sumariwalla. ‘‘Because we don’t have the technical expertise to back them up. Sports medicine, bio-mechanics, diet and nutrition are concepts which aren’t fully developed in our country.’’

It leaves the athlete with only one option: Do it yourself. Anju Bobby George did it but had to run more off the field than on it to finance her specialised training programme in Europe and the US. It is an unfortunate situation as athletes have to prove their credentials at an international meet to evince interest among the corporates, who are otherwise wary of potential stars.

However, the difficulties in that process don’t deter Surekha, who is determined to follow in Anju’s footsteps. ‘‘I will go on my own to Russia’’, says the 20-year-old pole-vaulter. More could follow as 2008 nears.

Beijing could charter a new course for India. All that’s needed from track and field is one medal — any colour will do. Four years should be enough time, if we get on the right track.

With Sandeep Dwivedi