When Asian Games gold medalist Amoj Yacoub took the microphone during the Federation Cup pre-match conference in Bhubaneswar, he provided the perfect ice-breaking moment of the night. Amoji, who arrived after a long and tiring flight from the Bahamas after securing a spot in Paris by running the anchor leg of the 4x400m team, clearly wanted to hit the hay as soon as possible. “To be honest, I don't want to be here. I just want to go back to my room and sleep. I'm waiting for this to be over,” joked the 26-year-old Derry boy with a cheeky grin. Ta.
But he has a point, as the time difference between Nassau, Bahamas and India was bound to cause jet lag. Amoji ran the crucial anchor leg in the World Relay Olympic qualifying heat on Sunday, helping his team finish second behind the Americans with a time of 3:03.23 and qualify for Paris. did. Amoji will compete in the 400m event at the Fed Cup with teammate Muhammed Ajmal. From the women's relay team, MR Poorvanma, Jyothika Sri Dandy and Subha Venkatesan, who also qualified for Paris this weekend, are on the 400m start list.
Despite feeling sleepy due to jet lag, the relay members were in high spirits after Sunday's victory. Jyothika and other teammates credit the team's recent success to arriving early in the Bahamas for training camp. The Indians arrived in the picturesque capital Nassau a month before the World Relays to train and acclimate to the competition.
India's 4x400m relay team has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AFI)
“We trained on a practice track outside the main stadium where the event was held, so when the match was played it felt like it was just another practice session. Number of events Had I landed earlier in the day, it would have felt different,” said Jyothika, who recorded a personal best time of 51.36 seconds on her legs.
The federation booked an apartment near the stadium and arranged transportation. They have an agreement with an Indian restaurant in Nassau to ensure that the players don't get homesick for the food.
“Idli, dosa, fish fry, biryani… (the list goes on). The food was even better than what we had at the Trivandrum camp,” says women's assistant coach Nagesh, who posted pictures of the camp meals on her mobile phone. He said while swiping.
Jet lag wasn't the only challenge for the team when they arrived in Nassau. The cold wind late in the evening made Ajmal and his friends suffer. “The first week was the toughest for us. Almost all of us were down with cold and fever,” says Nagesh.
But even after the flu passed, the Indians never looked back, working hard on the track and in the gym. Amoji feels there is nothing special or different about his training approach, just sticking to the basics has given him great results.
Come rain or wind
The coaches also made sure the team weathered the weather by training in all possible conditions. Against the wind, in the sun, on balmy nights, and even in the rain, the coaches left no stone unturned.
“It rained heavily a few days before the final race, but we had been practicing for every scenario. What if it rained during the final race? We didn’t want to leave anything to chance. ” explains Jyothika.
The women's 4x400m team of Rupal Chaudhary, MR Poovamma, Jyothika Sri Dandy and Subha Venkatesan has qualified for the Olympics. (AFI)
However, without the bond between relay members, all these efforts would not have come to fruition. It has been almost two years since the current squad trained together at the SAI Trivandrum national camp.
“We spend more time together than with our own families. Our favorite pastime is pulling each other's legs. We're all like brothers.” said Subha, giving Ajmal a firm but “friendly” pat on the shoulder. “We also fight like brothers,” she added.
Jyothika says off-field bonding is essential for relay teams to perform well. “Rupal likes to run with the baton in her left hand, but I prefer the right one.However, since we had a bond, I changed my stance and took the baton from her, even though I was prepared to make some sacrifices.'' These are small things that can only be done with some understanding,” she added.
“But that being said, both Subha and Jyothika know that there is fierce competition within the team and only four will make it to the final race.” We are friends, but the course Above, we do not forget that each one is his own. This is a healthy competition that pushes us further. ”
© Indian Express Private Limited
First upload date: December 5, 2024 08:24 IST