BENGALURU: Bengaluru athlete V A Shashikanth is one of the upcoming sprinters but the 17-year-old has his eyes set on the upcoming Asian Youth Athletics Championships (AYAC), which will take place in Hong Kong, starting Friday. He is preparing to represent India at 100m, 200m and medley relay. The youngster qualified for the AYAC after his showing during the school nationals, where he impressed with timings of 10.75s and 21.74s. The athlete will head into the championship after his decent outings in the youth nationals too.
However, it is not going to be easy for Shashikanth, who is currently at the camp in Delhi before the team heads over to Hong Kong for the big test. The competition is going to be stiff with athletes from top countries participating.“I do not know if I will be able to come back with a medal as it is my first competition at the international level but I will put my best foot forward,” said Shashikanth, who trains at the Sree Kanteeeava Stadium two times a day.
However, 10.77s and 21.48s was the best timing in the 100m and 200m respectively, while Shasikanth has already achieved 10.75s this season in 100m. His personal best in the 200m reads 21.5, which means that the youngster is a strong contender in both the individual events. He loves the 200m event even more due to his ability to finish off strong in the last 50-70m.
But various factors come into play for an athlete to win a medal. Shashikanth, who will be leaving with the team for Hong Kong on Tuesday night, will not have much time to acclimatise with the conditions and has to fight against all other external factors to be successful.
His coach Ravi Annappa said his student’s chances of winning also depend on the race and other factors, including the weather. “ I have a feeling that if things go well, he will be able to match his best timing in the competition, which will help him win a medal,” said the coach, who wants his student to become a better 100m sprinter as well,” he said.