5 extreme ways Indian athletes are keeping their Olympic dreams alive

5 extreme ways Indian athletes are keeping their Olympic dreams alive

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The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by a year, the first time it has ever happened since World War 2. But in its absence Indian athletes have hit a roadblock in their preparations for the event and are in a state of hibernation in lockdown. But are they really sitting idle?

Sporting activities around the world have come to a standstill owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and India are no such exception, with the athletes confined, stranded, under house arrest inside their cubicles. Their daily routines have been hampered by the recent turn of events, but can they afford to just lie there in a state of limbo and wait for things to fall in place? In a world competitive like this, that’s not a wise thing to do. 

Guess what. Indian athletes have taken extreme measures to keep themselves in shape.

S.P. Likith (Swimmer): Training inside an irrigation tank

Swimming might be India’s Achilles heel in a rather strong Olympics contingent, but the steep rise in the number of enthusiasts taking up the sport promises a bright future. And the efforts shown by swimmer SP Likith are proof of the above statement. The 21-year old, also an organic farmer has taken to extreme methods to keep himself in shape during the lockdown. The breaststroke specialist is training inside an irrigation tank inside his coach’s farm in Puttur, near the Kerala-Karnataka border.

Likith states that the arrangement made was the ‘last resort’ to make the lockdown useful. For a change, he even plunges to the nearby pond, which according to him isn’t dangerous but a few collisions with fishes and turtles are expected. Likith is aiming to clock 59.93 seconds in the 100m breaststroke for Olympic qualification and these are some of the minute things that athletes are doing to keep their dreams alive.

“Yes, I have been swimming in a decent size water tank. It was my coach’s idea. Besides, there is a pond nearby too, where I go for a swim. There are some turtles and fishes, nothing dangerous. See, one has to understand that these were the only conditions that I could have trained myself in, at this hour because of the prevailing conditions. And this way, I am able to do my (swimming) strokes too,” said Likith as reported by the new Indian express.

Bhavani Devi (Fencing): Training on roof-top with a dummy as a sparring partner

Unlike swimming, where Indians have had entrants previously, the country is going to make its debut in Fencing in the upcoming Olympics. India’s only possible representative in the discipline, Bhavani Devi is leaving no stones unturned to make an impact in the mega event. Stuck in her residential premises in Chennai, she was not convinced to squander during the lockdown period. She grabbed her equipment and headed towards the terrace with Olympic dreams flashing on her subconscious. 

Even though she only had a dummy as a sparring partner rested against the threshold, her motivation hasn’t dwindled one bit. Her opposition was lifeless, made up of a stuffed fencing kit, and meshed stainless steel mask and placed on top of two brick slabs, yet Bhavani was focused as if it was her qualification round to the Tokyo Games. The innovation might not match up with the reality, but the quest for success remains unaltered, no matter where she swings her sabre. 

“I got this temporary arrangement done a few days ago and it is of the right height for me to train with. It is nice to get the feel of sparring with a partner. Before this, I was having sessions where I only imagined practicing with someone,” said Bhavani Devi, as reported by the olympicchannel.com.

Gnansekaran Sathiyan (Table Tennis): Playing with a robot at home

Table Tennis has come a long way in India over the last few years and the way it has been injected into the Indian sports scenario just documents the fact. While Sharath Kamal showed us the way forward, his city-mate Gnanasekaran Sathiyan took the game to an unprecedented level. Ranked 31 in the world right now, the paddler is stuck inside his Chennai abode, but that hasn’t stopped him from his daily routine. Chasing Olympic glory doesn’t give you room to sit idle for hours.

One room has been reserved for a Table Tennis board already; the Butterfly Amicus Prime robot has been installed on one end, attached to the net which doesn’t allow the ball to trip outside. On the receiving end, the swashbuckling paddler is ready with his racquet to counter two-balls per second thrown at lightning speed from the artificial sparring partner. Never mind the surroundings, the sound of the ball rolling on the board is sweet everywhere.

“Of course, the imported robot can never replace a human. It gives one-shot for a backhand and another for a long forehand whereas a normal robot will put the ball only at the same speed. It can send 120 balls per minute and 300 balls can be loaded into it,” said Sathiyan to Sportstar.

Indian shooting contingent: Involved in an online shooting tournament

With a long list of qualified and most of them title aspirants, Shooting has taken the biggest blow thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. A discipline that solely depends on shooting ranges and ammunition for practice purposes, domestic set-ups were never an option for the shooters. But, nothing can remain standstill in today’s fast-paced world, can it? A group of top fleet shooters from around the world, including the likes of Manu Bhaker and Divyansh Singh, were involved in a first-of-a-kind online shooting championship, each of them participating from their own premises!

Not too much of a hassle – the shooters had to set up an electronic target in domestic perimeters, along with a mobile phone and proper internet connection which are required to keep in touch with other shooters via the Zoom app.  50 shooters from seven different countries including France, Spain and Iran were part of the history in the making. World’s top-ranked shooter Divyansh Singh secured the fourth position in the 10m rifle event. A tinge of international competition during the lockdown period, what more could have been expected?

“I think it was a great success. And barring one or two people who lost their internet connection, it went off smoothly and the results were transparent. Some very nice scores also were registered, crossing 630,” said Shimon Sharif, who runs the website IndianShooting.com and also one of the pioneers of the unique online tournament. 

Ashwini Ponappa (Badminton): Practising shots against the wall using HECS woolen balls

Ashwini Ponappa, India’s most decorated doubles player along with Jwala Gutta has also devised a simple but effective way to keep her skills sharp amid the lockdown. Without a proper court, she has put her room to some use, and the walls have replaced her opposition with her using HECS woolen balls instead of a shuttlecock. The 30-year-old had bought the HECS equipment around 18 months ago and it is believed that practising with the woolen balls helps sharpen reflexes, improves hand-eye coordination along with other positives. 

But Ponappa also makes sure she doesn’t skip physical exercises like Squats, Push-ups, Tricep dips, Heel raises, and on-the-spot-marching. The anomaly might not reach a desired level of efficiency, but it is enough to keep the machine running until favourable conditions re-occur.

“Not having enough space, and of course wanting to be in touch with the feeling and flow of playing while staying home (made me come up with this idea). Normally, one would use a shuttle, but this helps, considering there isn’t too much space at home. I didn't think it would be super handy and be an important part of my training during the lockdown,” stated Ashwini Ponappa, as reported by the newindianexpress.com.

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