Up and running with new hope
BHUBANESWAR: While most Indian athletes had a smooth passage to the Asian Games, some of them had to battle court cases to get to Jakarta. Among those who took the legal route, not everyone was given the green signal by the judiciary. Middle-distance runners Chhavi Sherawat and Prachi Choudhary were two of them. Prachi and Chhavi, who bagged bronze and finished fourth respectively at the senior nationals in Guwahati this year were not selected as both of them were not part of the national camp.
While the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) stated that both of them had been called to the national camp, Prachi and Chhavi are denying it. “If my name is not there in the camp, then why will I go? It’s my mistake if my name is there and I chose not to go. I had a better timing than those who went to Jakarta. But that’s in the past. Now, they have given me assurances that if I perform well here, I will be called up. Let us hope for the best,” Chhavi told Express on Tuesday on the sidelines of the National Open Athletics Championships.
Their comeback, however, is not going to be easy. Chhavi, who was part of the national camp before the Rio Olympics, had to leave after injuring her back. She was out for almost one year and did not participate in any event during that time period. Then, in Guwahati, despite getting a good timing, she was allegedly denied a place. And the Railways athlete from Uttar Pradesh is lacking confidence after the long injury lay off. “I am completely fit now. But I did not take part in any events in 2017. My target is to get back into the camp so that I can concentrate on major events. Tokyo is the target without a doubt. But there are new participants coming up and nothing is certain,” she said.
For Prachi, the case is entirely different. She has never been a part of the national camp before. Unlike Chhavi, she is unemployed. Her father is a farmer and she has two brothers and a sister. Despite struggling to make ends meet, Prachi has made it to Bhubaneswar. Currently a Bachelor of Physical Education student at the Punjab University in Patiala, the Uttar Pradesh girl is hoping to make an impact here. “I was very optimistic after Guwahati. But the snub was a huge blow for me and my family. There are a lot of expenses and things are getting difficult by the day,” Prachi said.
With no sponsors, Prachi’s main problem is money. While Punjab University is helping her out, a steady job will make a huge difference. “Despite being one of the top middle-distance runners in the country, no one has offered me a job. I am going to give it all here so that I can get into the national camp. Then things will be much better.”
Good news for Prachi
A top railway official has said that the door is always open for the best athletes in the country to join them. “If she wants a job, she should approach us. If her profile matches our requirements, we will definitely hire her. We all know what a talented athlete she is,” the official said.
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com