Second rung athletes locked out of camp

NEW DELHI: India’s second rung track and field athletes face uncertainty after being removed from the national camp at Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Patiala centre. The 20 athletes had waited indoors for nearly two months with the elite group training for Tokyo Olympics as they waited for the lockdown to be lifted.

Outdoor training was allowed in May third week by SAI and the elite batch got back into action, the second rung was asked to leave the camp last week. They face training uncertainty at their home bases as restrictions on entering sports venues are still in force in many places due to the Covid-19 situation. Some feel this would set them back when domestic meets resume, likely in September or October.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said SAI guidelines allowed only Olympic hopefuls and those close to achieving the qualifying mark for the postponed Tokyo Games to train in Patiala. “The clearance is for Olympic probables only,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said. “The government wants fewer numbers in the camp. We have to stick to the guidelines.”

Javelin throwers, Asian Games and CWG champion

Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh, Avinash Sable (men’s 3000m steeplechase) and KT Irfan and Bhawana Jat (20km race walk) have already qualified, alongwith the 4x400m mixed relay team.

“The elite 400m men and women apart from throwers (javelin men, discus women) are among 25 athletes now training in Patiala,” said a coach at the camp. “Irfan is training in Bengaluru SAI and Bhawana is training on her own in Jaipur.”

Mumbai 400m sprinter Aishwarya Mishra, one of those released, says her home town being in red zone due to many positive cases meant outdoor training will be difficult. “I had trained hard to improve my 400m personal best of 54 secs in March. Since all events got cancelled, the athletes should have got the benefit of doubt,” she said over phone from Mumbai.

Last week, SAI made travel arrangements for those released to return home. “We were prepared to give our best, but the domestic calendar got cancelled. Now we are out of the camp and have to make own arrangements to train,” said Punjab javelin thrower Davinder Singh Kang. The Army thrower had reached the final at the 2017 London world championships. His personal best of 84.57m is just off the Tokyo qualifying mark of 85m.