INCHEON: Fouls at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games are etched in his mind. The errors cost him the gold and that memory still hurts. As Arpinder Singh walked towards the bus bay at the Games Village here on Wednesday, he looked cheerful and relaxed. His coach S S Pannu was in tow. Perhaps his presence has given him the necessary confidence his form needed.
The technicalities of triple jump are complex. Right strides, rhythm and jump — moulded into one. If things are not in sync, you falter. It’s not easy for a new coach to spot the missed steps or hops. Pannu has been training Arpinder for over five years. He knows when his charge is in the wrong and more importantly, knows how to correct it.
Take for instance the Inter-State National Athletics Championships in Lucknow. Arpinder’s coach noticed that he was running from less than his usual 45 metres. So, Pannu extended the runway using a wooden plank and cotton sheets. Arpinder set a national record of 17.17m and beat Renjith Maheshwary.
“It’s a great advantage to have your coach around you. The training so far has gone very well here,” the man from Amritsar said. “I was facing problems with my run-up. I had fouls in Glasgow. That was haunting me. Fouls usually create doubts in your mind. My coach and I’ve been working on my run-up. My fitness is perfect and the confidence is back. I’ll do well.”
Peaking at the right time? Arpinder felt it was just right. “If you see my performance, I created a national record in June. Then got a bronze in Glasgow with a jump of 16.63m. This time I hope to clear the 17m mark if the conditions are ideal. Gold is what I am targeting here.”
Arpinder said he has been working on the different aspects of his technique — runway, half-strides, launch — for the time being. “This is ideal practice before a big event,” he explained. He has a few more days before the event. His qualifying sessions begin on October 1 and the final is on the next day.
“I’ve not been executing the full jumps in practice. I will be doing that in the competition,” Arpinder said.
Coach Pannu, who missed out the Glasgow trip, said: “Now everything is fine. I am here. Arpinder is relaxed and confident. The conditions are very good. We are waiting for the day. Hopefully, we will win the gold.”