BENGALURU: When lesser-known Manjit Singh outran top contenders like Jinson Johnson, Abubaker Abdalla and Abraham Rotich to clinch gold in the 2018 Asian Games 800m final, it came as a surprise to everyone. Now, comes the difficult period for the Haryana athlete — his performances and videos will be monitored by fellow competitors and Manjit needs to strive for excellence on a consistent basis.
After the historic performance, it has also brought with it additional pressure and expectations on Manjit. Some might crumble but he seems to be unperturbed. He has started training at SAI, Bengaluru after two months of deserved rest.
“I agree that expectations have increased. Hence, I’m putting in extra hard work during training. If I don’t suffer from injury, results will come,” Manjit said during the ‘Skechers Champions Workshop’ in the city, where he also spoke about techniques on how to improve timing, tips on diet and injury prevention.
Though the 29-year-old seems to be relaxed now, he knows 2019 is a big year for him. The Asian Athletics Championships and World Championships are high on his agenda. First comes the Asian event in Doha in April for which Manjit needs to qualify through the national meet.
Manjit’s timing of 1:46:15 saw him clinch gold in Jakarta. If one looks at the gold-winning timings in Asian Championships, it gives a fair picture about how race timings can be unpredictable. The last five editions have seen timings of — 2017 (1:49:47), 2015 (1:49:40), 2013 (1:46:92), 2011 (1:46:14) and 2009 (1:48:58).
“In the Asian Championship, it will be more about the medal and not the timing. Medal might come at 1:50 also. It depends on the race. If the first 600m goes slow, then the timing will not matter,” said Manjit.
However, when Manjit races in the nationals, his approach will be different. He has to finish inside a given timing as well as finish in the top two to go ahead. Manjit and Jinson Johnson, who finished second at the Asiad, are favourites.
“In the national meet, it is going to be all about the timings in order to qualify for the Asian Championship. The target will be to finish in the top two as only two will go ahead, “ he added.
ashim@newindianexpress.com