CHENNAI: On a warm humid evening at the port city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia, a young athlete from India, with the javelin in hand had set his eyes on gold at the recently-concluded Junior Asian Athletics Championship.
However, he was surrounded with doubts and question marks, thanks to the incessant pain he had on his left ankle.
The throws coach at the national camp Virender Dabbas, although sceptical, urged him to get the job done. "Coach saab, ap tension na lo, mein throw marunga, Rashtragaan bajega (coach, don't get tensed, I'll go for the throws and will let the national anthem play)," the teenager replied. He was Himanshu Khakkar, who, at 17 may be leading India's next generation of javelin throwers, as the culture of throw grows. His 67.57m throw earned India's solitary gold at the event as the camp returned home with 11 medals.
Hailing from Salhawas in Jhajjar district in Haryana, Himanshu practiced in Akheri Madanpur, which was an hour away. "I wake up at three (o'clock) in the morning and start practicing at four. Then I would come back for school and go back to practice in the evening," he said while sharing his daily routine. Before the tournament, Himanshu shared some time with two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra in South Africa. "Neeraj (bhaiya) asked me to focus on my aim and practice well. He explained how everyone is different, and everyone has their own advantage," Himanshu recounted the advice he got.
Describing the throw, Himanshu said he had set his eyes on winning gold. It was when the coach had pointed out that the National Anthem had not played in the meet so far. "At that time, my injury was of no concern. All that I could focus on was that I needed to get it (anthem) played," he said. His yearning materialised when his throw, which is far off his personal best of 74.56m, put him on top of the podium. "I was delighted. I am looking forward to repeat the same in the Khelo India Games in Bihar next month," he added.
He may not be as well-built and tall as Arshad Nadeem or Andreas Hoffman, but the 5'10 foot boy has got the 'mindset of a champion' according to Dabbas. "It may be too early, but he has good potential. It should be a matter of time before he refines himself to be the best," Dabbas told this daily.
What stood out for Dabbas was Himanshu's self belief. "The remark he made before his throw - that's typical of Haryanvi athletes. Their mindset to win even with injuries is exemplary," he added.
Although Himanshu's speed and aggression are his strengths, the coach felt that his rhythm needs to improve. "He tends to start fast and end slow. But I back him to change that part a bit. He also has a good arm jerk which helps with his release," the coach said.