‘Our coaches not good enough to produce Olympic champs’
QUEST FOR GOLD Wrestler Vinesh Phogat seeks a foreign coach as she sets sights on Tokyo 2020
LUCKNOW: Jakarta Asian Games gold medallist, wrestler Vinesh Phogat feels Indian coaches are not good enough to produce Olympic champions.
Speaking on the sidelines of a felicitation function organised by SAI, Vinesh said, “Indian coaches are giving results. But for an event like the Olympics, where the level of competition is very high, we need foreign coaches who can plan each day and discuss every aspect of our game like speed, stamina and strength besides technique.”
Winner of gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, Vinesh, who clinched the top spot in Jakarta in the 50kg category, said she was scouting for a personal coach in a bid to bring home a medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“Hungarian Waller Ako helped me fill the gap (before the Asian Games) and gave me some useful lessons. Those instructions mattered a lot in Jakarta. I feel that in order to win an Olympic medal, I’ll need the help of a personal coach like Waller.
“Before the Asian Games, I went to Hungary and overcame the shortcomings. My gold at the Spanish Grand Prix was the result of that training. If I get the same training over the next two years, I will certainly win an Olympic medal,” said Vinesh, bronze medallist at the 2014 Incheon Games.
Vinesh said her heart-breaking loss in 2016 Olympics taught her a lot. “I used to play aggressive, and I paid the price for it in Rio. Now I know how to challenge a rival. Even in the final at the Asian Games, I held myself for long in crunch situations.”
At the felicitation ceremony, Vinesh was in her elements, celebrating her victory with Asian Games bronze medallist Divya Kakran and her cousin Geeta Phogat, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Vinesh said she had contemplated giving up the sport on many occasions owing to the punishing training regimen. “Several times, I thought of quitting after a tough training session. But I did not want to let people down who had faith in my abilities. So I started training with passion and zeal.”
Aiming for her maiden medal at the World Championships in Budapest (October 20-28), Vinesh said she would like to finish the season on a high. “I would like to win my first gold at Budapest and finish the season in style. This is my biggest aim for the season.”