Celebrations on hold as Deepa looks to practice for next event

Putting the celebrations over her Paralympics silver medal behind her, Deepa Malik will now start preparing for the IPC Athletics World Championships to be held in London next year

Putting the celebrations over her Paralympics silver medal behind her, Deepa Malik will now start preparing for the IPC Athletics World Championships to be held in London next year. She will take part in javelin throw and shot put for which she will be following a strict diet and rigorous training sessions. The event is slated to be held from July 14 to 23.

From Tuesday, Deepa will go back to her old routine where she will get up at 4:30am and put in four hours of practice with her coach and husband, Colonel (retd) Bikram Malik (Leena Dhankhar/HT Photo)

Confident of improving her performance, Deepa is aiming for gold this time too. At the recent Rio Paralympics, she had started off with a throw of 4.26 metres; registered 4.49m on her second attempt and 4.41m on the third. On her sixth throw, she recorded a personal best of 4.61m, which ultimately helped her finish second.

“Just one last throw of 4.76m from my opponent Fatema Nedham of Bahrain clinched the gold medal, otherwise the six throws I made were good. I have aimed higher and I am confident that I will again bring laurels to my country in the IPC world championship,” she said.

From Tuesday, Deepa will go back to her old routine where she will get up at 4:30am and put in four hours of practice with her coach and husband, Colonel (retd) Bikram Malik.

“I need to rest I have not slept properly for the last five days, and I need to get back to my routine,” she said, adding that she will sacrifice her holidays and celebrations till her next championship.

“One has to be confident and that comes with preparation. Those who know where they stand don’t fall under pressure. Confidence will only come when one is prepared so I have to give my 100% to my practice,” she added.

“I will need to take a high protein and low carb diet. Every day will be different for me as it depends on my training schedule. I have no muscle over my stomach so I have to be careful of what I take. I have lots of dietary restrictions as I have to manage my digestion. The time gap between the meals and exercise is important. The stomach can take a turn, which can even lead to surgery, so I have to take care of what I eat and how much. I have to manage my diet and liquids very carefully,” she said.

“I have weights all over the house. We have created my own little den in the house for training. My friends come to Siri Fort Gym along with the staff Jeetu and Venus and fitness trainer Vaibhav Sirohi. I need the support of five people for training,” she added.