CHENNAI: There's something about Aishwarya B. She’s confident and has a way with words, even if it’s in English, her third language. She is petite but has an air of confidence.
Height-wise (1.59metre), she was probably one of the smaller athletes in the triple jump final on day four of the national inter-state championships in Chennai. Yet, just as her coach, BP Aiyappa, had confidently advertised on Sunday, Aishwarya set a new national record in the final.
Her 14.14m, the best jump by an Asian athlete in 2022, eclipsed the previous national mark set by Mayookha Johny (14.11m in 2011). In essence, she almost jumped nine times her height to win gold. On Tuesday, she will have the chance for a rare double as she’s qualified for the long jump final as well.
Listen to the way the 24-year-old — she turns 25 on Wednesday — talks and you walk away with a sense that she’s making up for lost time. “All of us are born to achieve something,” she said after the event.
Lost time because her progress was stalled after she tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Rehab followed with Aiyappa, husband of 2010 Asian Games heptathlon bronze medallist, Pramila, playing a big role.
Since then, the duo have focused on capitalising her ‘speed’ and ‘explosive ability’ — Aishwarya kept repeating these three words.
When she was asked about her training to produce results like this, she said that she does a lot of workouts focusing on her hamstring and calf muscles to further enhance her two gifts. “She’s a natural,” Aiyappa, who looked on proudly when Aishwarya was clutching her medal, said. This, of course, is not her first gold this year.
At the Indian Grand Prix in Trivandrum in March 2022, she set a new personal best of 13.94m. If that was her serving notice of her talents — it was second-best all-time by an Indian woman — her mark at Chennai was her underlining her credentials as someone with potential for more.
But it hasn’t always been this easy for the Bengalurean who has finished her B.Com. For instance, during lockdown, Aiyappa and she had to travel more than 25 kms one way everyday to practice. Both Aiyappa and Aishwarya said that as they did not get the permission to train at Kanteerava Stadium — the place where she usually trains — they had to resort to travelling everyday to keep in shape.
Noteworthy results followed on the national stage including a long jump gold at the open nationals in September 2021. Her 6.52m was then her personal best, something that is now 6.73m.
On Tuesday, she has a chance of displacing Anju Bobby George’s mark of 6.83m. “I will try (to beat that),” she said with a smile.
There was also a mic drop moment. “This (the 14.14m) is my first national record.” The inference is clear. She believes she can rewrite more records going forward.
Meanwhile, in the last event on Monday, India quarter-miler Amoj Jacob pulled up and had to be stretchered off while running the anchor leg for India A. It looked like he had done some damage to his hamstring.