Sporting mom sets out on a comeback trail

“Throughout the Games, I had to watch from the sidelines and that strengthened my resolve. I vowed never to be in the reserves again,” Rachita said.

The Rourkela girl did make the Indian team again for the Asian Track and Field Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 1991, but once again spent all the time off the track. The reason, this time: illness.

Her moment of glory arrived the following year, when the junior Asian Track and Field Championships came to Delhi. But, once again, glory was mixed with heartbreak. Two false starts put her out of the 100 metre final, but she won the 200m and anchored the 4x100m relay.

“Though I had a good run in 200m, the 100m is my favourite event. I had to improve on my start to excel in 100m,” said the Central Railway employee, now based in Mumbai. “My technique was wrong. Coach Adille Sumariwala — many times National champion — has worked hard to rectify it,” she added.

In September 1994, Rachita registered her personal best of 11.43 seconds in 100m at the Circuit Meet in Lucknow. Yet, she was not given the chance to undergo special training for the forthcoming international events. “The selected seniors who made their mark were preferred over an up-and-coming junior like me,” she recalls with a tinge of disappointment.

She married Homiyar Mistry, who himself was a good quarter-miler. This time away from the track helped her mature and reflect on a career that had not blossomed as it ought to have.

“Homi inspired me to deliver best results after I was blessed with a daughter – Karan,” she added. It seems she had told Homiyar before marriage that it should not mean an end to her career.

She moved to Mumbai, where Homiyar is based. She became a mother — her daughter is one and-a-half years old — and decided to resume her career. A stint under Sumariwala and she was ready for the challenge. She was rather nervous when Rachita went to Bangalore for the National Games.

All doubts were set to rest in her first meet. She raced past Usha and others in 100m to win the gold clocking 11.84s.

Then followed a series of fine races. She won 100m gold at Federation Meet at Chennai and finished third (in 11.69s) — while Usha came fourth — in the ITC International Meet in Delhi. She then clocked 11.96s at fifth Circuit Meet at Mumbai and that was a new state record. Then came success at the Inter-Railway title in 11.81s at Calcutta. That erased Usha’s meet record of 11.9s. And, earlier this month, she won the gold in 100m in 11.93s in the first SAAF meet at Delhi.

Rachita has a string of victories since her return in May, but her target is 11.39s the national record held by Usha since 1985.

For the present, Rachita now travels to Gandhinagar for the Open Nationals beginning omorrow.

Rachita, who wants more drug tests in India, also has a complaint against Indian coaches. “Very few of our gurus train us scientifically. Instead of adopting modern techniques, they opt for age-old methods that were in use during their prime. They must change if our standards are to improve,” she feels.

When asked why juniors were not coming forward these days, Rachita shot back: “Nobody encourages promising juniors. We have Saraswati Dey from Bengal whose 11.74s in 100m at Junior Asian Track and Field meet goes unnoticed. Instead, seniors on the verge of quitting the scene enjoy undue coverage by media and get more facilities. So, how do you expect juniors to come up?”