Athletes in SA,with one eye on London

A sporting discipline which usually attracts attention only in the year leading up to the Olympics is showing some semblance of long-term planningA sporting discipline which usually attracts attention only in the year leading up to the Olympics is showing some semblance of long-term planning with sights set firmly on London. Eight athletes sprinters and middle-distance runners in the age-bracket of 17-25 are shifting base to train under former South African national track and field coach Marc Labuscagne for a year in Durban.

Chinchu Jose,Anu Mariam Jose,Sinimole Paulose,Srabani Nanda,Indu Lekha,M Poovamma,G Haritha and Sajeesh Joseph will also have the services of trainer Heath Mathews,who has worked with Indian boxers and shuttler Saina Nehwal,and his group of physios. The immediate target for the young athletes, sponsored by the Mittal Champions Trust (MCT),is improvement in timings. It was important we get athletics on board because its the showcase event of the Olympics. We ought to find at least one serious contender from a country of a billion. Weve produced fine athletes with no scientific backing. Theres no reason we wont do better with a prepared programme, said Manisha Malhotra,administrator of the MCT.

Triple jumper Renjith Maheshwary had trained intermittently in the US and in South Africa. But short stints dont help. Longer camps and sustained efforts were required, Malhotra explains.

Joseph,the only male member of the group,who takes part in the 800 m and 1500 m events,had failed to qualify for Beijing last year,missing out by 0.42 seconds.

The 22-year-old runner from Kottayam is looking to the South African stint to lift his timings,which have plateaued since that effort.

Paulose,an Asian medallist,also has a similar target. At the trials in January,Mathews set us a higher target urging us to look at the world-class timings, she says.

The other notable inclusion is the lanky Srabani Nanda from Bhuvaneshwar,a 17-year-old sprinter who won a gold with the relay team at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune last year.