The Hindu : Sport / Swimming : Poncha remains positive

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Poncha remains positive

Special Correspondent

It has been an agonising wait for Poncha
The possibility of going under the 2:00 mark is on the horizon

BANGALORE: It has been an agonising wait for Rehan Poncha in his quest to qualify for the Olympics.

Poncha came tantalisingly close to the Olympic ‘B’ qualifying mark in the 200m butterfly (2:01.79s), clocking 2:02.90s in the Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, an effort that fetched him a silver.

Poncha is, however, determined to achieve that mark at the Grand Prix meet in Sydney, starting on July 4.

“Ever since I won the 200m butterfly gold in the senior Nationals, I have been improving. I did a 2:03 in the Australian Olympic qualifying meet in Sydney and now I have cut it down by another second at Kuala Lumpur.

“I see no reason why I can’t improve it further by a second and qualify for the Olympics,” said Poncha in a chat with The Hindu after a vigorous work-out at the BAC Pool.

Doing fine

“I have been working on the 200m fly for quite some time and I am happy with the results. Maybe I would have made the cut at Kuala Lumpur itself had I gone a little faster in the last 50m,” said Poncha.

His coach, S. Pradeep Kumar, agreed with that assessment. “Till 50 metres, he was right on course and he slowed during the last 50. As per our calculations, another 1.8 millimetre per second would have easily bridged the gap,” said Pradeep.

“The Olympian tag does mean a lot to me and I am working hard for that.

“However, there will be no regrets if I fail in that attempt because I know I am improving with each meet.

“The possibility of going under the 2:00 mark is also on the horizon. That would make me one of the best in the 200m fly. I have this long-term vision and in case I don’t qualify for the Olympics, it will not be the end of the road,” added Poncha. He certainly has his priorities right.

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