Saritaben Gayakwad and VK Vismaya
‘Hima Das Wins Fifth Gold of the Month as She Returns to 400m Event’ read one headline. ‘Hima Das returns to 400m run, grabs 5th gold of month’ said another after she broke the beam in the 400m race in a meet in Nové Město nad Metují in the Czech Republic. This came on the back of 200m wins in Poznan, Kutno, Kladno and Tabor.
While this is to be rejoiced, Indians will do better to hold their horses for now. The coming fortnight will be interesting to see how India’s quarter-milers fare as a team in the Balkan Relays in Turkey on July 24 and 25 with the ghost of the IAAF World Relays lingering.
Arokia Rajiv, who has returned home owing to an injury, has claimed that these competitions are more to get accustomed to different conditions. Clearly, that is important but there is no reason why that cannot be had with stronger fields. Perhaps Coach Galina Bukharina knows best.
Touted as India’s best bet for the Olympic Games athletics competition, the quarter-milers and javelin throwers are, quite rightly, under the microscope as they train and compete in Europe.
Let us look at the javelin throwers before we spend more time on the 400m runners.
With Neeraj Chopra out of the frame for now (and unlikely to return this season), Shivpal Singh came into the limelight with a 86m throw in the Asian Athletics Championships. But his performances have shown a downward trajectory after that, a weak 76m effort in his last outing leading to doubts if he would be a finalist in the World Championships in September.
Annu Rani has been consistent with 60m efforts in Europe after a personal best of 62.34m at Patiala this year. But when she last competed in Luzern on July 9, she had a best of only 54.54m. Having qualified for world championships, she will be working on recovering form as she sets her eyes on a place in the final in Doha but she will have to improve her personal best.
Meanwhile, Vipin Kasana secured a personal best of 82.51m, the longest throw by an Indian since Shivpal Singh’s 86m effort in the Asians in Doha. A doping offence in the past elicits caution which can fade if he turns around to be promising.
It is time now to focus on the crop of 400m runners.
The Annual Calendar for Training and Competition has India’s quarter-milers based in Poland and competing in Poznan and Kutno in Poland and Kladno, Tabor and Nové Město nad Metují in the Czech Republic. It must be assumed these are exposure under training rather than an outright competition which is also asserted by the weak fields.
Yet, what is stopping them from seeking a more competitive field is anybody’s guess. A medal holds credit only when it’s backed by a standard performance in a competent field. Hence it is more befitting to see these ‘Gold’ as an indicator of their current form. An appropriate assessment of their progress will be their times with respect to their personal bests, and the entry standard for World Championships and Olympics.
Hima Das inched closer to her personal best (23.10 seconds) in 200m steadily by managing 23.43 at Kladno and 23.25 in Tabor. That showed her Gold medal winning times in Poznan (23.65) and Kutno (23.97) came with sub-par performances. The qualification standard for World Championships is 23.02 and for the Olympic Games a tougher 22.80.
It will suffice to say her race is far from the finish line.
Crowning baby steps as gold can be misleading. Clearly, the 200m races she ran were in preparation for the 400m. It makes sense as the entry standard for World Championships and Olympic Games lie outside her personal best of 50.79 clocked in the Asian Games in Jakarta last year. Her time of 52.09 seconds in Nové Město nad Metují augurs well for the rest of the season.
Muhammad Anas Yahiya ran a 200m in 20.75 seconds in Poznan, just outside his personal best of 20.63 and a dismal 21.18 in Kutno. He returned to 400m clocking a National record time of 45.21 seconds, inside the qualifying standard of 45.30 for World Championships. After backing that with a 45.40-second effort in Tabor, Anas has returned to 200m.
VK Vismaya has been showing steady improvement in the 400m, clocking her personal best time of 52.48 seconds in the Nové Město nad Metují meeting on July 20. She had times of 52.58 and 52.54 in the two earlier quarter-mile sprints in Goleniow in Poland and Kladno in the Czech Republic. She also secured a personal best time of 23.43 seconds in 200m in Tabor.
MR Poovamma, who was is in recovering from her Achilles injury, returned to the track with a 53.74 seconds effort in Nové Město nad Metují, while hurlder Dharun Ayyasamy has yet to get back to competition.
It is a little early to shower praise or indulge in harsh criticism. Coach Galina Bukharina expressed concerns over the two ends of the spectrum leading to a complex that athletes bring to training sessions. Meanwhile, athlete and media, officials and fans should appropriately accord credit, tempering it, where and when it is due.
