Camping abroad

When the Indian wrestlers headed to Colorado Springs in the US for their month-long pre-Olympics training stint,the collective aim of the squad was to pick the brains of the US coaches and get a global outlook on the game. But the 25-day camp didnt quite go on expected linesit wasnt just the Indians who returned home wiser; even their hosts ended up learning a few things.

One discovery for the locals,a rather painful one,was that of the Indian hold called khmeda. Within days of the teams arrival at their temporary base,a US wrestler showed his interest in taking on Beijing Games bronze medallist Sushil Kumar. The Indian star,as a rule,never shies away from such opportunities. Within minutes,Sushil clasped the American in a breathtaking hold,wrapping his arms around his neck,in fact his wind pipe.

Sushil plays down the incident. I do it regularly and everybody knows it. It fetches me most of my points,but some times if the grip is not strong,the move doesnt stick. So it was great to discover that I was in the right groove. But others on the trip cant get over that friendly bout. Sushil bhai sahab ne usko behosh kar diya. Pani dala,tab woh utha, says a wrestler at the camp. In Colorado Springs,they are still talking about khmeda.

During their stay away from home,the Indian squad of Sushil,Yogeshwar Dutt,Amit Kumar,Narsingh Yadav and Geeta Phogat mostly concentrated on match preparedness. Their workouts started early with either the American coaches or the Indian mentors taking them through warm-up routines. Then came the gym work. Evenings were usually for mat routine. Twice a week,an Olympics-style competition was held to test the preparedness of the grapplers where four-five bouts were scheduled in two hours.

The training routine was so intense that the grapplers were mostly confined to their rooms,trying to get their battered bodies some rest. And even if they wanted to,they couldnt have gone out far,thanks to the wildfires flaring in the nearby forest. We could see the fires from our rooms. They were using helicopters to douse the fire, says chief coach Vinod Kumar.

Still,the lure of Indian food forced the team,Sushil being the exception,to go out once or twice a week to the nearby gurdwara. You rarely get roti and sabzi in foreign countries. So we used to go there, says Narsingh Yadav.

Krishna Poonia,Discus thrower,Six-month training in the US and South Africa

Nihal Koshie

A few families with roots in Punjab would unfailingly turn up whenever discus thrower Krishna Poonia trained at the Concordia University grounds in Portland,Oregon,US,a world apart from her village Gagarwas in Rajasthan.

Seeing familiar faces in a foreign land during their three-month stint at the Mac Wilkins Throws Academy reminded Krishna and her husband,coach Vijendra,constantly of the hopes of their fans at home.

The Poonias have been training abroad since February this year and have been home for just two days in early April,between a two-month stint in South Africa and the other in Oregon. Being based at the Mac Wilkins Throws Academy is a tried-and-tested strategy for Krishna and Vijendra. Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games,where she won gold,Poonia went through a similar stint.

After spending more than 90 days in Oregon,Krishna and her husband moved to Basildon,40 kilometres from Central London,last week to get acclimatised before the Games. Though they are getting used to the fickle weather at their new base,they continue to miss the hospitality of the expats in Oregon.

We were invited to a family wedding of an Indian businessmen in Oregon where we were treated like chief guests. We were called on stage and introduced to the gathering as Indians who have made everyone proud. It was a very touching gesture,and we were happy to be at an Indian wedding in Oregon. These small gestures keep us going and give us an opportunity to relax. They are welcome breaks in the training schedule. It made us feel like we were at home, Krishna says.

There was no shortage of blessings for them. They were invited to the local gurdwara for a special blessings function. After attending the gurdwara function,we came away with a lot of peace and confidence. There are a few small temples in and around Oregon. We used to make it a point to go to the Shiv mandir, says Vijendra.

While their six-day-a-week training schedule left them with little time for anything else,the Poonias would spend Sunday exploring the city. The clean air,the weather,organic food,all helped Krishna stay in peak conditions. Even though organic food was expensive,I made sure Krishna was on an organic diet. It makes a world of difference to be based at the right place and get the right kind of training ahead of a big event. Before Beijing,we made the mistake of coming back to India from Oregon for a month. It upset our schedule. So this time,we moved to Basildon from Oregon and will move into the Games Village later, says Vijendra.

Staying away from home has not been without sacrifices. Krishna hasnt seen her 10-year-old son,Lakshya,since the end of March. My aim is to enter the final of the discus throw event at the Olympics and give my personal best. I will do my best and hope that all our sacrifices will be worth it, says Krishna,who has a personal best of 64.76 metres.

Om Prakash Karhana,shot putter,Training in Hungary for a year-and-a half

Nihal Koshie

The Dobose Club,a throws academy about 300 kilometres from the Hungarian capital of Budapest,is where Indias mens shot putter Om Prakash Karhana has been practising over the past 16 months. Though the winter temperature drops to -15 degree Celsius here,the harsh weather was no impediment to Karhanas training. The 24-year-old,who has a season best of 20.69 metres,recalls his throw of 21.08 metres achieved during practice.

But Karhana got homesick during his long stay at Szombathely,his longest away from home. Three years ago,when he was part of an athletic contingent that went to London for a three-month training stint,he got so homesick that he returned home to Lakhuwas near Sohna,in just over a month.

However,the disappointment of not winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and the Asian Games in Guangzhou made Karhana determined to travel abroad to improve his technique. Szombathely is as different as it can get from Lakhuwas,but Karhana steeled himself for this time away from his parents,brother,sister and friends. The idea of training at Hungarys Dobose Club came from his coach,Anil Kumar.

Nowadays,Karhana talks on the phone to his folks only once or twice a week,which ensures he isnt overcome by a longing to head back. Also,the seven-hour training schedule leaves him with little energy for anything else. Since March last year,Karhana has been to India on only a couple of occasions.

When he is sapped of energy at the end of the day,Karhana unwinds by watching animation movies. Laughter,he believes,is sometimes the best cure for homesickness.

My technique has improved immensely since I moved base to Szombathely. I have realised that a thrower can have all the power in the world but without fine-tuning ones technique,it is difficult to cross the 21-metre mark consistently. I am sure that my stint in Hungary will help me be my best at the London Games. This is the first time I have stayed away from home for more than a month. It is a new experience,and it has made me stronger. One advantage I have is that I am not a big fan of Indian food,so I dont need to have dal-roti everyday, says Karhana.

Vijender Singh,boxer,75 kg,15-day training in Ireland

Nitin Sharma

Being the only Indian boxer with an Olympic medal from the Beijing Games,Vijender Singh is assumed to be a medal contender for London. But a boxer knows better. He knows just how important sparring against a strong opposition is. Its a reality check. And so,on June 15 ,seven Indian boxers headed to Ireland for a 15-day training stint. The training over,they returned to India before leaving for London.

Remembering their Ireland stay,the first thing that hit them when they arrived in capital Dublin,says Vijender,was the cold. The moment we reached Ireland,the weather took us by surprise. We were in our shorts and suddenly the temperature dipped and it started raining. A couple of us came down with a cold. The boxing arena at London might be air-conditioned but the outside weather conditions will be crucial. In Dublin,we had to buy some warm clothes, says Vijender.

The Irish sojourn proved to be a fine sparring stint. Not only did the Indians get a good look at the Irish boxers,they also trained with the French,Tunisians and Russians. The Russian team spent some days with us. Sparring with World Nos 4 and 2 from my category was a lot of help, says Vijender.

Apart from the six-hour training at the Ireland Boxing Committee Arena,Vijender also ran in Dublin Park and cycled in the city. The time we spent in Ireland meant that we got a chance to acclimatise to the weather in Europe. The Ireland Boxing Association provided us training at their centre. We also met Irelands woman boxer,Katie Taylor, he says. They practised everyday for six hours in the morning and afternoon. The rest of the time they either slept at the hostel or cooked their own foodVijender rustled up omelettes and soups.

The Indian ambassador in Ireland gave them a warm send-off. The ambassador and his family held a dinner for us. It was our last day of training,so I enjoyed the food as I was not watching my weight! says Vijender.

Garima Chaudhary,Judo,15-day training in Germany and France

Wajiha Shah

When the judo championships begin at the London Games,there will be only one Indian participatingGarima Chaudhary.

The 22-year-old Indian judoka from Meerut and her coach Jiwan Sharma were in Germany for a week starting July 1,where she received advanced training. From Germany,she travelled to France to groom her skills further. Garima returned to India on Saturday.

I chose France and Germany because a large number of judokas who have qualified from Europe come from these countries. Our federations initial plan was to go to Cuba for training but the Cuban national team was already in France by then. In Germany,I attended an international judo camp along with other European teams. In France,I trained with players from the Cuban national team. In Germany,I practised with strong opponents,which helped me improve my tactical part. I trained in conditions that are similar to London.

The way we practise in India and in Germany is similar. The only difference is that unlike India,there is a judo culture in Germany. The facilities for judo training and medical aids were also excellent there. I got good practice partners and that helped me get quality international-level practice.

The Meerut girl is satisfied with the food she got in Germany. I am a pure vegetarian but the food I got in Germany was very good and fulfilled every nutritional requirement. In the beginning of my career,I was not used to such food but now I have started relishing it. In the past,I have trained for one month in Japan in 2010 under judo legend Yasuhiro Yamashita. I also attended a five-day training in 2011 in Paris and 15-day training in Tashkent in May,2012, Garima says.

Garima represented Haryana in the last national championship and has been training at the SAI Centre of Excellence in Patiala for the past many years. The day I was selected by SAI for training,my coaches,Jiwan Sharma and Divya Sharma,fixed long-term targets for me and made me believe that I have what it takes to be a judo champion. I am trying my best to make my country proud at the Olympics and I am optimistic about performing well in my weight category (below 63 kg) at the Olympics, she says.

Sudha Singh,steeplechaser,Five-month training in Kenya and Italy

Wajiha Shah

When Rae Bareli-based Sudha Singh learnt that she had to go abroad for training,her first thought was what would she eat there. But now the 3,000m steeplechase Asian Games gold medallist is happy she agreed to go abroad.

The 25-year-old has been training in Italy for about two months now. Before that,she trained a lot on mud tracks in Kenya since late November last year. Last year,when I came to know that I will have to go to Kenya,I wasnt keen on it. Since I am a vegetarian,I was worried over how I would live there without Indian food. But when we got there,it was fine because there was a cook there who made Indian vegetarian food. Here in Italy too,there is a lady who cooks Indian food for us.

Sudha is training under long-distance-running coach Claudio Berardelli. He is a very good coach and his trainees have triumphed in the past. I expect to gain from his coaching and give my best at the Olympics, she says.

The stint abroad has helped Sudha better her timing. My timing improved after I trained at Eldoret in Kenya. It helped me qualify for the Olympics. High-altitude training is always good for long-distance athletes because if you perform well there then when you come down to run in tournaments at a lower level where the oxygen level is much higher,you perform even better. Plus,in Kenya I got an opportunity to train along with some internationally renowned athletes.

Speed is what she is working on now. My timing has improved but I have to work on my speed. While in Italy we practise on synthetic tracks,in Kenya,there were no synthetic tracks. However,the Kenya training had its own importance.

In fact,Kenyas running culture has left Sudha impressed. After I completed class X,I joined a sports hostel in Lucknow. But in Kenya,you will see very young children running. By the time they grow up,they become champions. Many of these children are poor and,in fact,you can spot many of them running to their schools, she says.