The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Spotlight on middle-distance runners

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Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
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Sport - Athletics

Spotlight on middle-distance runners

K.P. Mohan

PATIALA: The unprecedented success of the Indian team at the Asian indoor championships in Doha has given a fresh impetus to athletics in the country in this Olympic year.

To have topped the medals tally in Doha with five gold, nine silver and three bronze medals, was an excellent achievement, even if one were to give some allowance for the depleted field.

How well the Indian athletes translate the early momentum gained in Doha into creditable results outdoors in the coming months will determine the rest of the course as they aim to create a bigger impact at the world level.

First mission

To do that they will first have to qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games. Just three — Renjith Maheswary, Vikas Gowda and Anju George — have made the grade so far.

An early start to the domestic season, with the first Indian Grand Prix meet scheduled here on Thursday, should provide the Olympic aspirants the right kind of build-up towards the climax in Beijing in August.

This is not to suggest that Indian athletes could be nursing medal ambitions, though optimism is never lacking among officials and coaches.

The qualification struggle itself should tell its tale, though on current form there could be quite a number of middle distance runners in the Beijing-bound bunch eventually.

The success of the middle-distance runners in Doha was the key to India’s rise from a humble sixth position last time to the No. 1 spot in continental indoor athletics. Five of them accounted for seven medals including three gold.

It must be mentioned of course that just four ran in the women’s 1500 metres which Sinimole

Paulose won and only three competed in the women’s 3000 metres which Preeja Sreedharan claimed.

This is not to take anything away from either the athletes or that tough taskmaster from Belarus, Nikolai Snesarev, who has put in a great deal of work to mould a bunch of dedicated middle-distance runners into top-level performers and medal-winners.

This is just to put things in perspective lest we should get carried away.

Superb efforts

Sinimole’s 2:03.43 (800m) and 4:15.42 (1500m) in Doha were superb efforts that should spur her onto the Olympic qualification marks of 2:01.30 and 4:08.00 if not immediately at least by mid-season.

Experts feel that a sub-two-minute effort from the Kerala girl for the two-lap event should not be far in coming.

Chatholi Hamza (1500m) and Sajeesh Joseph and R. Rajeev (800m) are quite capable of achieving the Olympic norms of 3:39.00 and 1:47.00. Hamza in particular was impressive with his 3:41.18 for the silver in Doha. Coaches say he could go well below 3:38 outdoors.

It is not going to be easy for the distance runners, especially the men, however. Surendra Singh’s best for the 5000 metres (13:51.64) is about 23 seconds off the Olympic norm and his PB in 10k (28:57.90) is about 47 seconds off the pace.

Also in focus here will be the women’s 400m runners, if only because they together have to attempt to get into the world top 16 relay teams later this season for Olympic qualification, and triple jumper Renjith Maheswary who is set to leave for the U.S. on Febrary 25 for a three-month training programme.

The events for Thursday’s meet:

Men: 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 50km walk, high jump, triple jump and shot put.