Prajusha all set for the guru dakshina leap
Tags:
June 17 was a special day in the life of Malayali athlete M.A. Prajusha.
She looks back at the day when she was all of 14 and her performance at a school meet had inspired a certain man, who gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder and invited her to train under him.
That was 10 years ago and that very moment marked the beginning of Prajusha’s prolific athletic career. The Commonwealth Games long jump silver medalist still trains under M.A. George, who had hand-picked her out of nowhere.
Theirs is one of those rare guru-shishya relationships that has not been seen or heard of since the days of the iconic athlete P.T. Usha and her guru, Dronacharya Awardee O.M. Nambiar. Usha, who began training under Nambiar at the age of 15, made him his mentor throughout her career.
“I’m indebted to him for the training he has given me over the years. I believe I still have to learn a lot more. He is always there for me as a coach and guardian,” says Prajusha.
Her coach feels honoured by the loyalty of his favourite student. “It is a matter of pride for me that we have completed 10 years of training together. Seldom do you see such a long-term relationship between a teacher and student in Indian athletics and this serves as an inspiration for both of us,” says an elated George.
The athletic coach with the Sports Authority of India feels that the best is yet to come from Prajusha. “She is hardworking but a bit on the slower side on the runway and we are now working on it. If she develops her speed, I’m certain Prajusha can do wonders,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the coach also points out that Prajusha draws a lot of inspiration from Mayookha Johny. “Prajusha is technically sound while Mayookha is more talented and when they both compete in the same event, it is more of an inspiration-driven competition,” explains George.
Prajusha nods to that. “Yes, it is a friendly rivalry that we have. When she cleared 14 m in triple, I was very much delighted because now I have a new benchmark to achieve,” says Prajusha.
In triple jump, Prajusha’s best is 13.72 m and in long jump she has scored 6.55 m. She is now training to better her leap for the upcoming Asian Track & Field event which will be held in July and for the World Championship which will take place in August.
“The aim I have set for her is 14.10 m in triple and 6.80 m in long jump and if she works on her speed, it is definitely possible,” says George.
And Prajusha wants to achieve this target set by her teacher as she believes this will be the best guru dakshina she can offer her coach.
Post new comment