HYDERABAD: Motocross, American football, kabaddi and MMA. What do these sports have in common? The answer lies with the only female head physiotherapist in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League. Oliwia Witek, a Polish national, is taking care of fitness of new entrants in the league — Gujarat Fortunegiants. She has donned the same role for all the aforementioned sports.
In the city for the first leg of season 5, the cheerful physio sat down with Express for a exclusive chat on Sunday.
Asked how she joined PKL, she said her experience with the Polish national team at last year’s Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad to be the major factor. “I had come with the Polish team in the World Cup. From that time itself I got interested and approached one of the senior office-bearers of Indian kabaddi and joined PKL.”
The Fortunegiants are yet to make their league debut — they play Dabang Delhi KC on August 1. The Polish woman quipped that she is the only one who is “new” in the team. “Gujarat has a lot of seasoned campaigners like Fazel Atrachali and Sukesh Hegde. So, I am the only one who feels like a newbie,” she said with a laugh. The preparatory camp for the team started around one and half months back in Gandhinagar. But, Oliwia had to make a brief sojourn to her home country for her commitment towards the national American Football team. “The Polish team was playing at the World Games in Wroclaw, Poland. So, I left for a week. But, my assistant was there to take care of the Gujarat boys.”
The physio says that from the beginning of her career she has only worked with male athletes. “Now, I am so habituated by working with men that I feel that I might find it difficult working with women,” Oliwia, who is still the Polish national Kabaddi physio, said.
Queried whether she has to adopt a completely different approach for each sport she handles, she said, “It is almost same since the bodies of humans are similar everywhere, whether it is Motocross or MMA.”
Talking about the strain that Kabaddi players put themselves through, Oliwia revealed that “Kabaddi players can take as long as six months to recover after a gruelling season.” The vivacious physio is enjoying every minute of her India stay as it keeps her away from the freezing temperatures of Poland. “It was always so chilly in my country. I like it here,” Oliwia, who is on a one-year contract with the Fortunegiants, exclaimed.
The 28-year-old finds Kabaddi to be her new favourite sport. “You do not need expensive equipment to play this game and that is why this has become my favourite sport,” she signed off.
vishalvivek@newindianexpress.com