Indian star athletes put in the yards ahead of WA Silver level meet

BHUBANESWAR: There is quite a sprinkling of stars from India and abroad to compete at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet here on Saturday.

Key points

• In one corner, India's top long jumper with Asian and Commonwealth Games medals M Sreeshankar was stretching and sprinting.
• "We had a very good training in Czechia and now we are concentrating on the Asian Games, " remarked Sreeshankar.
• All of them are focused on the Asian Games right now and this is just a small stopover.
• Though some of the qualified athletes have decided to offer the WA continental event a miss, most would hope to put their best feet forward.
• They would be going to Japan early to acclimatize as well.

In one corner, India's top long jumper with Asian and Commonwealth Games medals M Sreeshankar was stretching and sprinting. On the track Vishal TK and his 400m teammates were huffing and puffing as their coach and taskmaster Jason Dawson put them through their training rituals.

Though the $75000 international event will be held just a day before the Olympic qualification cycle begins, Athletics Federation of India authorities feel that it would be good for athletes ahead of the Asian Games. Though some of the qualified athletes have decided to offer the WA continental event a miss, most would hope to put their best feet forward.

Sreeshankar and the rest of the Indian contingent that went to Spala, Poland before Commonwealth Games in Glasgow followed by Czechia are back and have been training in Bhubaneswar. All of them are focused on the Asian Games right now and this is just a small stopover.

"We had a very good training in Czechia and now we are concentrating on the Asian Games, " remarked Sreeshankar. "The injury is now passé and it doesn't even come while I am on my run-up anymore. I think my best jump after injury is yet to come."

Sreeshankar has had his tough days but with his father and coach S Murali by his side, they are counting on a solid end-of-the-season show in Nagoya afterwards next month. They would be going to Japan early to acclimatize as well. If they are competing tomorrow, Vishal is giving the Continental event a miss. "I will do whatever my coach says and right now we are concentrating on the Asian Games, " he remarked after a rigorous training session with Dawson.

If they know what they are doing, there are quite a few athletes who were not sure why they were summoned or asked to compete. Some of the long distance runners are case in point who would not be running in their pet event but another event. Yet with the weather conditions in Nagoya probable to be more or less like Bhubaneswar, athletes would be partially acclimatized before travelling to Japan. But before that the Continental Silver meet on Saturday and another – the invitational Indian Athletics Final meet – in Delhi next month.

In short, indian star athletes put in the yards ahead of WA Silver level is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.