KOCHI: Jisna Mathew was among the notable athletes who did not participate in the first three legs of the Indian Grand Prix or the Federation Cup earlier this year as the Kerala athlete mostly kept to training with her coach PT Usha.
The Tokyo-bound athlete was expected to represent India at the World Relays in Poland in May, but the Indian contingent was not allowed to travel due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country. The 22-year-old was then among the Indian athletes set to be sent by the Athletics Federation of India to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan for international meets.
Even that plan fell through at the last moment and Jisna is finally expected to be in action at the Indian Grand Prix-4 followed by the Inter-State Athletics Championship. Jisna is part of a star-studded Kerala contingent. “She will be participating in both the meets in Patiala. Maybe she is a few days short of peak fitness and being fully ready. But at this point, she needs to start participating in competitions. Not being able to take part in the World Relays and the other two meets were disappointing but the situation is such a challenging one that we can’t help it,” said coach Usha.