THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:There won’t be any surprise if several eyes stay glued to Kerala’s Mahitha Mohan when the cycle wheels get rolling in the National Games. As the days for testing pedalling skills inch closer, this velodrome queen from the southern end of the nation is sitting with fingers crossed.
She believes it is her duty to do justice to the huge expectations resting upon her shoulder, a hard-and-sweet responsibility she earned from her performances so far, particularly the rich haul of four gold and four silver medals for the cycling competitions in the 2011 edition of the Games held at Ranchi.
“The home ground advantage is good, but at the same time, my duty gets doubled here. Analysing myself, I am not satisfied with the training I underwent this time compared to past years as I have not got much chances to take long-distance trials, in which I can in put my best,” says the three-time National Games participant-cum-Kerala women’s team captain.
This time, she is out to prove her mettle in five items; Scratch Race, Points Race, Team Pursuit, Team Sprint and Mass Start events.
Way back in 2010, a 50-kilometre Mass Start Gold medal win in the South Asian Games earned Mahitha the honour of India’s best cyclist for the year. The 27-year-old has been into the game since 2006 and is at present coached by Usha T Nair at the Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE) of Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Thiruvananthapuram, where the cycling events are scheduled for the Games.
A National Track Cycling champ that she is, Mahitha has had a short stint as a mountain bike exponent as well. “I had an ordinary all-terrain bicycle with me, on which I rode through all the rough roads in my home town Thodupuzha. Thanks to the plenty of such routes there. Special training as such was not taken other than for national competitions,” she recollects. This craze again filled her kitty with laurels in the form of gold and silver medals at the National Mountain Bike Cycling Championship in the under-16 and under-18 categories.
A tad disappointed over the omission this time of certain items in which she took part in the last Games, Mahitha wants to try her luck in a couple of more items. “I am thinking of giving the Road Time Trial a try. And, if possible, join one more item,” she says.
All her efforts in sports paid off two years ago in the form of a clerical post in government sector. “A secure job does not mean it is the right emolument for the efforts put in by a sportsperson. But, for those who still continue in the field with a job, a supportive stand from the authorities must be ensured too,” she says. The way Mahitha plans her future may not bring cheer to sports lovers. She is thinking of doing her final lap as a cyclist when the curtains come down on the current edition of the National Games for reasons “strictly personal.”