CHENNAI: It’s a game of the mind. If your mind is strong, you can align your body to it a n d a c h i e v e anything,” says Manekshaw Anand, silver medallist in the 400 m dash at the 21st Asian Master Athletic Championship, held in Malaysia this year from December 1 to December 7. The 36-year-old is a full-time professional athlete and has been training every day since 2014. “Practice begins at 5 am every day. I do a lot of endurance workouts.
The 400 m dash is a long and strenuous run. Our muscles degenerate because of the strain. I follow a strict diet, high in carbohydrates to regenerate my muscles. I also eat protein but my diet mostly consists of vitamins and carbohydrates, because I burn so much of those in my four-hour workout every morning.” He began specifically training for the 21st Asian Master Athletic Championship in 2018. “We need to train our bodies to suit the temperature and climate of the place where the Championship is held. Malaysia has a tropical climate and we conducted field training sessions on the beach to train our bodies to suit it,” Manekshaw says.
The athlete from Ashok Nagar participated in the 35 to 40 age category at the Asian Master Athletic Championship. “I normally compete in the 200 m dash and the long jump too, but this year I had fallen ill towards the end of November and could only participate in the 400 m dash,” he says. This is not the first time Manekshaw has represented India at an international athletics meet. He also won a bronze medal in the Asia Pacific Master Games 2018. “Before every race, I feel very nervous. All the athletes are no less than I am and it feels overwhelming to have been India’s chosen one to run at an international level,” he says. Manekshaw represented India among the 40 participants from other countries. “We had eight sets of races with five participants in each set.
Everyone was so driven and motivated, it was good to share that kind of sportsmanship with everyone,” he says. Not only did he win silver but also achieved his personal best of 58 seconds. Although no one in his family is an athlete, he has noticed the passion in his son and daughter, who attend middle school. “Both my kids participate in athletic events in their school. They seem to like the sport and have won medals in inter-school competitions,” he says. His parents and wife have been supportive.
“Before the Championship, my mother was in Dubai. She brought me five kg of high-grade protein supplements from there. She has been a pillar of support behind my success and so has my wife,” he shares. “Standing on the podium and being given the medal with my national flag hanging on my shoulders was a proud moment for me. It felt like a satisfactory reward for enduring all the nervousness I felt up until the run. My coach, Riayz, was like a rock, supporting and encouraging me to keep my head in the game,” he shares. Unlike bodybuilders, athletes do not build muscle.
“Our muscles undergo a lot of wear and tear. We cool off once a week by swimming which relaxes the muscles. It is extremely important to loosen our muscles because they are tense and rigid after working them out six days a week. We also get massages and undergo constant physiotherapy to deal with our muscular tension,” Manekshaw says. When not training, Manekshaw works for Decathlon Sports as a digital marketing manager.
“Decathlon is the primary reason I was able to attend the Championship. They sponsored all my gear and my travel and stay which would have come up to over `60,000. Games like cricket and badminton have received so much recognition and funding, I’m waiting for the day when athletics too becomes as important in Indian sport. Multinational companies should contribute to athletics as a part of their CSR. Many athletes qualify to participate in such competitions but don’t always have the budget to travel or stay,” he says.