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On the right track
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Track athlete P. Shankar is guning for the Doha Asian Games
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OVERCOMING HURDLES For P.Shankar the focus now shifts to the Doha Asian Games
A bronze in any event may not really produce the same aura as a gold, but for P.Shankar, the bronze in the Asian Grand Prix meet in Bangalore last week in the 400 m hurdles was something special. The athlete rose to stardom on the national and Asian circuit from a rustic background of a tanda in Mahabubnagar, and the bronze in the Asian Grand Prix special because with that, he set a new national record.of 50.39 sec. "Definitely, the gold would have made a lot of difference, but a national record more than compensated for that," says a modest, 24-year-old Shankar on a personal visit to the city, taking a break from the national camp in Patiala.
Significantlyunder the tutelage of his long-standing coach Nagapuri Ramesh of Sports Authority of India, Shankar has decided to confine himself to two events only— the 400 m flat and 400 m hurdles. "The focus now shifts to the Doha Asian Games later this year," he asserts clearly gunning for greater glory. For this, he will soon be joining the national camp and after a while some of the national athletes are scheduled to take part in the Asian All Stars meet in Brunei and some invitational meets in Russia. Is there anything, which really worries him even now? "Definitely, I have to improve upon my stride length. After the Bangalore bronze, I spoke to the gold medallist and found out that they are going for 14 strides up to the seventh hurdle where as I am not able to sustain that after the fourth hurdle. If I work on this area successfully, I should be a better athlete," he points out.
Shankar, who is a junior superintendent in the ONGC, is confident that he should make it to the Indian squad for the Doha Asian Games as the qualifying mark should be around 49.50 and 49.80.
"I am really working hard and am also desperate to pick one Asian Games medal," he says with all sincerity. He will also be aiming for the slot in the Indian 4 x 400 m relay squad with Bhupinder Singh, Satbir Singh and S.Srinivas. " Things look better for me now thanks to my employers, help from the SAI and from the SAAP," says a grateful Shankar. Incidentally, it was Andhra's first IM Lanka Ravi who was responsible in helping him get the ONGC job.
He continues to be the solitary earning member amongst his 11 siblings but is ready to face the challenges in life and on the tracks.
V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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