When former India athlete P.T. Usha bagged staggering five golds and a bronze at the 1985 Asian Games in Jakarta, there were barely any synthetic tracks in the country. There were no state-of-the-art-technology sports centres, no personal trainers and no technical analysts to help athletes perform at their top level.
It was against all odds that the queen of Indian athletics kept the flag flying. But today, India’s position is nowhere near what it was during her time. Ask the legendary athlete the reason for India’s decline and she fumbles for reasons but feels the current crop do not have the same willpower to succeed.
“Athletics is very tough. You have to be strong. It is really painful at times but you need to learn to take the load and be mentally strong,” Usha said here.
“The athletes should not wait for better facilities. They need to have strong willpower and it will help them come on top.”
Usha, who is present Asian Championships here along with her protege Tintu Luka (women’s 800m), says when she was competing, her only focus was training.
“I wonder why we don’t get medals anymore. Back in the 1980s, I wanted to train hard. Things like rain, weather and lack of facilities did not matter.”
The golden girl of Indian athletics feels that the current crop of Indian athletes should set up goals and train accordingly.
“Athletes should have patience. They must set a goal, focus on training and build up the routine gradually. You cannot win medals by training extensively for a couple of months.”