It has been more than a decade now since the Athletics Federation of India started dreaming about an Olympic medal for the 4x400m relay teams. If one takes a look at the graph of the performances so far, it may look like a kindergarten kid’s drawing of a mountain. A sudden upward curve followed by an even steeper downward slope. And as we approach another edition of the quadrennial showpiece, the question remains the same. After investing so much in coaching and overseas training stints, can they do something worthwhile?
Three years ago, AFI roped in former Soviet athlete Galina Bukharina to nurture the relay teams. The 74-year-old with vast experience in coaching was brought in with the hope of instilling a winning mentality in the athletes. Part of the Soviet Union women’s 4x100m bronze-winning team at the 1968 Olympics, she was more successful from the touchline. Apart from many laurels with the University of Texas in the US, Galina also coached the Soviet Union women’s 4x400m team to gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Their timing of 3.15.17s is still the world and Olympic record. And she started well with Indian team as well.
By qualifying for the men’s and women’s finals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, India showed there is talent to spring a surprise or two. While they did not yield results in the final, it was an encouraging sign. At the Asian Games, as expected, Indians finished on the podium in the men’s, women’s and mixed 4x400 relay events. But 2019 was be disastrous. Apart from a silver medal for the women’s team at the Asian Championships, there was not much to celebrate. The only consolation was the mixed team, which finished seventh at the World Championships in Doha and qualified for Tokyo 2020. With the men’s and women’s team yet to qualify, the coach feels unexpected injuries have stalled the progress, but it is only a matter of time. In a chat with this daily, Galina discusses the mentality of Indian athletes, training abroad, Tokyo and more. Excerpts...
What are your thoughts on the Indian relay teams right now?
We are in a pretty promising place. The mixed team has qualified for the Olympics. The men’s and women’s teams are ranked 14th in 4x400m. But if you look at the world track and field calendar, we cannot find many top relay competitions. It is difficult to find top competitions. We can improve our standings, but we have to compete. For example, we have narrowed in on one competition on May 30 and May 31 in Germany. But we still don’t know what kind of competition it will be. We will be in the Czech Republic and it will be easy for us to travel. We will make sure that we participate in Europe.
But we don’t know what level of competition it will be. If there are strong teams, we will be able to improve. The federation is trying to help. But this is out of their control. Look at the Ukrainian federation for example. All of a sudden, they announce they won’t be able to go to the Olympics because of financial problems in the country. We don’t have problems like that. My goal and the federation’s goal is to find competitions with strong countries to participate in Europe.
Have you noticed any changes in the Indian relay teams in your time here?
When the season started, we were really good. We had a beautiful team. Arokia Rajiv ran 45.37. We thought we had a very strong team. But all of a sudden, an injury happened. Then many more got injured. You never know how to avoid injury. When we came to Doha, we were pretty good. But one day before the final, Alex caught fever. And we couldn’t make it. Every time we come close, something happens. We need a bit more luck.
What happened during the controversial foreign stints last year and why have you chosen to go again?
Just yesterday, after practice, I called my team and we discussed how to continue our preparation for the Olympics. Firstly, a lot of false news was spread about our camp in Europe last year. Athletes never had a problem with food or accommodation. We went to the cities of Jablonec and Kladno in the Czech Republic. In Jablonec, we had one of the best accommodation. We had our own kitchen. They were cooking everything for us, including Indian food. We could also access the kitchen. Everybody was good. But in Kladno, there was a problem. It was very cold. Secondly, we need competition. We have to expose our teams to top competitions in Europe. You can’t stay in India and travel every week for practical reasons.
So we need to stay in Europe and treat it like home. I asked the team if they want to stay and train in India till the Olympics and everybody said no. We feel more comfortable in Jablonec or Spala. But now, Spala is out of the question, We should have booked everything there maybe in September or October. In July, there are competitions in the Czech Republic. Now, we are going to Antalya. That is also because the food is very good. There is good hospitality. These are important. We are not going to these places for competition.
We are going for camps. If there are top events nearby, we go there. If the federation has someone to search for top competitions, it will be more helpful. In USA, there are tonnes of events. There is a strong Indian community there willing to help us. But it is expensive. The federations is trying to find a solution.
Can you share some insights on the mentality of the Indian athletes?
I don’t know how to answer that. I still don’t know what kind of motivation Indian athletes have. For example, take somebody from Kerala.
If they are going to the Olympics, they think they have done maximum. They are not dreaming above that. They should think about higher goals and to do that, you have to feel it. We have to compete with stronger opponents. When you do that, you will know what it feels like to win. The taste of victory. It’s totally different. Right now, they are happy with just participation. They don’t know the feeling of winning and we are trying to bring that. Some results were good at the Asian level.
But this takes time and cannot be done overnight. Is the current diet of athletes helping them?
Indian food has too much rice. And in this climate, if you take so much rice, it will drain the minerals out of your body. So you have to take more supplements to make up for that.
What is the target in Tokyo?
I will be happy if all the teams make it to the final. And in the final, you never know what can happen. If they qualify for the finals, it will show their willpower and ability to compete with the best in the world. To be in the top eight will be a huge success for India.
Have you found the best combination yet for all three categories?
Right now, I cannot reveal that. That would be unprofessional. I believe in everybody I‘m coaching. That’s why we are training seven or eight people.
The ones with more willpower, desire and higher goals will make the team. I want everybody to train with an open mind. Last few years, Anas and Arokia were really good. At the end of last year, Noha did better than Anas. Now, when the season starts, I’m expecting Anas to get his revenge. That’s why I told the federation to not ask me who is No 1 or 2. Let’s train six people who can run at the 45-second level.
Are you worried that some of the athletes were injured for a long time last year?
This is the life of an athlete. They get injured. I can only say one thing, which is about medical recovery. What I noticed is, for example in Patiala, when you get injured and go to the doctor, he asks you to rest for three weeks randomly. There is no aggressive treatment in India. After three weeks, they extend it further for a week and after all that, take an MRI to find the real reason. That should be avoided. They should be more aggressive and precise. We have to detect the injury at the beginning and work on it immediately.