From swimming in a makeshift farm pool with turtles and fish to fencing with a dummy on a terrace, India’s locked-down athletes are finding novel ways to stay fit.
The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics by a year has given S.P. Likith, India’s top breaststroke swimmer, extra time to make the 59.93 second qualifying time for the 100m.
He has been stuck at his coach’s farm in Karnataka state since February and now swims in a tank already inhabited by wildlife that normally supplies water for crops and vegetables.
The 21-year-old from Bengaluru, who still has to shave two seconds off his personal best to qualify, told reporters that he was “lucky” to have the 20m long tank where coach Partha Varanashi drills 15 swimmers.
“The only difference [from a swimming pool] is ... the water is not clear at all, there are fish and turtles and we don’t have lanes,” Likith said with a laugh.
“It is not boring, it is fun. Right now our main goal is to keep our immunity high, so it’s just five or six swimming sessions a week and the rest is yoga and other stuff,” he added.
Fencer Bhavani Devi has been in quarantine and training alone at home in the southern city of Chennai since returning from Italy on March 15.
The 26-year-old saber fencer trains with a dummy on the terrace of her house.
“This is not a new idea for me, when I started fencing we used to play with sticks and do target training by placing a mask or target pad on the wall,” said Devi, who in 2017 became the first Indian to win a Fencing World Cup event.
Devi, who is more accustomed to the plush facilities of leading Italian coach Nicola Zanotti in Livorno, Italy, said that it was imperative to keep a positive mind through the crisis.
“This period is for me to prepare myself the best with the sources available and be ready when things resume,” she said. “At the same time, being at home for this long time is more special for me after many years. That gives more energy too.”
India’s top 400m sprinter, Muhammed Anas, who is aiming for a second straight Olympics, admitted that the lockdown has taken a mental toll on his preparations.
Anas, part of the mixed 4x400m relay team, in February moved to the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala, India, and stayed there as the number of COVID-19 cases surged in India.
“For an athlete like me, who spends most time training outdoors, the lockdown does sometimes mentally drain me,” said the 25-year-old, who won a silver medal at 2018 Asian Games.
However, indoor training, some “light entertainment” and staying in contact with his family and friends has helped overcome “the mental tension,” he said.
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