The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Circuit meet today

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Wednesday, Jun 16, 2004

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Sport - Athletics

Circuit meet today

By S. Thyagarajan

CHENNAI, JUNE 15. Competitive athletics acquires an enhanced depth and dimension in the Olympic year. Contests intensify as competitors strive for reaching new frontiers of excellence. This phenomenon is observed not only in nations portrayed as super-powers; but also in every corner of the world.

It is in this perspective that an assessment should be made of the strides made by Indian stars to fulfil their dream of reaching the summit at Athens in August. That as many as nine have already made the grade is heart-warming indeed as much as the prospect of this list getting enlarged before the Olympics.

Time was when the athletics administration was castigated by all concerned for its apathy and indifference. Lacking in cohesion and without a clear sense of vision, the AAFI, as it was called then, provided no inspiration to competitors, leave alone providing the incentives the competitors deserved. Admittedly, there is a noticeable transformation in recent years. While pessimists view the Athletics Federation of India as a unit still struggling to get certain imperfections right, there is acknowledgement about the degree of systematisation surfacing. At least, there is now a clear-cut programme, with priorities well marked.

Without fear of contradiction it can be said the number of qualifiers for the Athens Games mirrors the efficacy of the programmes with the right emphasis laid on professional coaching. Today, the athletes are assured of a plethora of competitions, both national and international, to sharpen their skills and rub shoulders with the best in the world. The stature gained by triple jumper, Anju George, and the performances of stars like, Neelam Jaswant Singh, Seema Antil and Bobby Aloysius, can be reckoned as sign of striking progress. It is however true that a lot remains to be achieved.

When introduced in 1994 quite a few were sceptical about the effectiveness of the Circuit meets as the right testing ground. But over the years, these meets have proved their value in discovering young achievers. Some of the best known sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers have had their baptism in the Circuit meets.

As the final domestic Circuit meet for the Olympic year gets into the starting blocks at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday, it is difficult to remain unaffected by the surge of talent demanding attention and appreciation. While the focus on Anju George cannot be grudged considering the distinction she obtained in the last World Championship in France, the lack of thrust in promoting a proficient competitor as K. M. Binu of Kerala needs to be pinpointed. Here is a spirited warrior who defied many odds to mark himself competent enough to anchor a quarter mile mark. His splendid time of 45.59s, in the first meet in New Delhi — it is the second best time in 400 metres missing the National mark only by 0.03s — identified the 23-year old as a bright prospect. As if to prove his credentials again, Binu returned a time of 1:47.89 for 800 metres in the second edition at Patiala, and is going all out to hit the qualifying mark 1:47.00.

Binu's sister, the Olympian K. M. Beenamol, is on the comeback trail after fighting injuries. The time of 2:05.86s in her first meet at Patiala a few weeks ago is an encouraging sign of her getting back into rhythm. What needs to be highlighted in today's programme is the fact that several stars who have already ensured their berths for the Olympics are in the fray. The meet also presents an opportunity to the shot putters, Shakti Singh and Navpreet Singh to touch the mark of 20 metres, which Bahadur Singh has done with a heave of 20.40m at Kiev. There will also be a lot of focus on spotting the relay quartet to conquering the qualifying mark.

A word of appreciation to the Tamil Nadu Athletics Association is not an exaggeration in the light of the fact that almost every year the unit stages one or two national-level competitions. Actually, this meet was scheduled at Nagarcoil, but shifted to Chennai only to facilitate the best of facilities for the competitors.

As the TFA President, Walter I. Dawaram, predicted at a news conference recently, the large athletic community here is optimistic of the meet producing a slew of outstanding performances, and, a few more qualifiers for Athens 2004.

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