KOCHI: Elite Indian javelin throwers have been going rudderless for the last six months or so, ever since Australian coach Garry Calvert resigned mid-way through the season and moved to China. Top performers like Neeraj Chopra, who won a maiden world junior title for India, suffered because of this.
The situation is slowly improving courtesy Athletics Federation of India’s hiring of the iconic javelin thrower and coach Uwe Hohn. He joined NIS Patiala on Sunday and has taken charge of nine trainees, men and women.
The German’s presence should be a confidence-booster for Indian javelin throwers, who of late have been making their presence felt in the international circuit. Though the training camp under him has just begun, athletes expressed satisfaction over the new coach, the only man in history to have crossed the 100m mark.
“His name itself is enough to inspire the athletes. We are really motivated by his presence and want to make full use of him,” said Davinder Singh Kang, who became the first Indian to qualify for the javelin final of the World Championship earlier this year.
Termed as a temperamental person who doesn’t get along well with foreign coaches, Kang, however, painted a different picture about the former European champion. “He is an understanding person and listens to the athletes’ concerns. He has a great deal of experience and it’s easy for him to pick defects in technique,” said the Punjab athlete.
Insiders said Hohn is focussing on pre-season conditioning of the throwers. He has also run a preliminary check of their technique to get an assessment. “He observed the techniques of the throwers and suggested minor changes. With Kang, he was generally happy but insisted that some fine-tuning needs to to be done with the last attack. He also paid attention to Kang’s injury and is working on that,” sources said.
National coach Kashinath Naik is assisting Hohn. With two big events to be held next year — the Commonwealth and Asian Games — the AFI is pinning hopes on the German. “We have a bunch of world-class javelin throwers. They are our treasure for the future. That’s why we opted for a world-class coach so that the athletes get what they should be getting,” said AFI chief Adille Sumariwalla.
Though the Commonwealth and Asian Games are high on AFI’s priority list, the ultimate aim will be the 2020 Olympics. “We have a long-term approach. An Olympic medal is something that we all want. So Hohn was given a contract up to 2020,” Sumariwalla added.
However, Chopra is yet to report to the camp. Sources said the 20-year-old is recovering from a groin injury, while rumours say he is undecided on train under Hohn and is planning to move to Germany to train with Werner Daniels, another reputed coach.
shan.as@newindianexpress.com