Ahead Of Olympic Qualifier, Sprinter Forced To Train On Farms And Roads

Ankita Dhyani, a sprinter gearing up for the Tokyo Olympic qualifier is reportedly training on fields, roads with potholes instead of the synthetic athletic track.

Sprinters of India will get the last chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics during the 60th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship in Patiala starting from June 25. Due to the pandemic, in many states such as Uttrakhand, where Dhyani has been living, the sports activities have been closed.

According to a report by the Times of India, Uttrakhand has only one synthetic athletic track at Maharana Pratap Sports College which is of international standard but the government has not issued any notification if it can be used by athletes.

In an interview, Dhyani told TOI, " Since April, I had been running on the roads near my village in Pauri. A few days ago I came to Dehradun. But it's the same. " To avoid pedestrians and others, Dhyani has figured out time slots when there are not many people on the roads.

"I start at 4 am — roads are empty then — and go on for two hours. Again, at 4 pm, when there is a relative lull, I practice for an hour," she added.

Secretary of Uttrakhand Athletics Association, KJS Kalsi spoke to the leading daily over the state of national-level athletes training and she said that it is sad that athletes such as Dhyani have to practice like this. She said that Dhyani has the potential to qualify for the Olympics. "

They run wherever they can find space. Across the city, you see people out in large numbers. Is that how they are supposed to train? Running through crowds?" Kalsi told TOI.

Kalsi also said that the training on non-athletic tracks can cause "career-threatening" injuries to athletes since it is impossible to run with spiked shoes on roads. Dhyani agreed and said that she is not training in her spiked shoes because of the uneven nature of the roads and fields.

She said, " Not getting enough practice in spikes will mean I am at a disadvantage at the tournament next week." She added that she has been selected for an international tournament in Kenya in August and expressed that she is that lack of quality practice for such big tournaments can hurt her chances.

Who Is Ankita Dhyani?

Ankita Dhyani is a national level champion in sprinting. In February, she broke a national record of a 5000-m event in the Junior National Championship organised in Guwahati. She won a gold medal in Junior Federation Cup's 5000 meters and 1500 meter event.