Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who has won the gold medal in the 49 kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, rightly said that her competition is with herself. And as she indicated, not so subtly, we shouldn’t be content with just this achievement. Lifting 29 kg more than the second-placed lifter shows that the level of competition is low.
The real test for India will come at the Asian Games, then at the World Wrestling Championship and the Olympics. Our athletes know this and I believe that our level is steadily improving.
Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli and Chanu have shown just a glimpse of how much Indian weightlifting has improved in recent times. Most of India’s lifters come from lower-middle-class families. Their hunger to succeed is huge. They’re deeply sincere when it comes to their training and equally humble when they win a medal.
In terms of dedication and hunger to succeed, not much has changed since I was competing and won the bronze at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. What has immensely changed is the support system that athletes are given nowadays. Chanu can think of competing at the highest level despite being injured for the better part of a year because, nowadays, our athletes are given access to the best facilities and treatments. In our time, to recover from injuries, we were told to use hot wax, which was a common remedy. It was the same even when I won in Sydney.
Today, athletes have a team of physiotherapists, a masseuse and doctors travelling with the team. They have access to the top trainers, nutritionists, sports scientists and counsellors whenever they require additional help. They are sent abroad to train. Before the competition, they are sent to the event location as early as they like should they want to acclimatise to the conditions.
Due credit should be given to the government first and then to the sports federations and private bodies for facilitating all of this. It shows that they are serious about sports and don’t mind going to any lengths to back the top athletes.
I say top athletes because I believe that to start dominating in the elite competitions, we need to start supporting athletes that have yet to win a national title because it is only once they win the national title that they’re given all the facilities.
What happens to those who miss by small margins? What about those who show plenty of potential and could be medal contenders with the right training? Most of these athletes come from the interiors of the country where the facilities they need haven’t been developed. We should look at ways of helping them. Only then can we have a pool of talent.
Having a pool of talent for each weight category is necessary if we wish to become a world weightlifting powerhouse. We should take a leaf out of China’s book. For each category, they have about 20 lifters, so even if the top lifter is injured, there’s someone almost at the same level ready to replace them. Having 20 top lifters in one category also improves the level at which they perform because, first and foremost, they are competing with each other.
To have such a rich pool, we need a great grassroots programme. There has been a tremendous increase in interest in weightlifting in our country. I saw this first hand recently when I wanted to hold trials for my academy in Haryana. All I did was put up a post on Twitter giving details about the trial. I had space for only about 50 kids, but 700 showed up. And the best part is that parents are now encouraging their kids to get into weightlifting.
It’s also very important to identify talent using the proper methods at the grassroots. Now, we have scientific tests that are run on 11-year-olds to find out if they’re suited for weightlifting. From that, we come to know their flexibility, how tall they could be by the time they’re 20, and how much their muscles can develop. This information is very important in spotting talent and centres around India have gradually started to conduct such tests.
I’m also part of Delhi Sports University and we’re trying to identify raw talent from small towns using these scientific tests. Sports will be a huge part of their curriculum, but it won’t be the only aspect. Thirty per cent of their curriculum will also teach them other aspects of sports. After all, apart from athletes, we need to have good Indian coaches, sports physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists and trainers.
This year’s Commonwealth Games offer a feel-good factor and great motivation for the athletes, but these are just the baby steps in building a sporting nation.
Malleswari is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. She won the bronze in the 69 kg weightlifting category at Sydney in 2000
