E-Paper
‘Don’t plan to go home after lockdown, target is Tokyo Olympics’: Javelin thrower Annu Rani
Speaking to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview, Annu Rani says that she is not used to staying inside the hostel.
“It has been difficult being stuck at the camp,” says javelin thrower Annu Rani. In March, a contingent of Indian javelin throwers, who were training in South Africa and Turkey, was recalled to India as the coronavirus pandemic led to travel restrictions all across the globe. Among them was Annu Rani, the national-record holder for India in women’s javelin throw, who was training in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Initially, the athletes were asked to stay at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala under a 14-day quarantine period. As Annu was serving her quarantine at the national camp, Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown in India, due to the rising number of cases of coronavirus in the country. Speaking to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview, Annu says that she is not used to staying inside the hostel.
“We used to go out all the time, for training. It is becoming difficult to spend time. We have a small area around our hostel where we do a bit of training. We also play a few games among ourselves such as badminton. It keeps us mentally fit, and also we get out of boredom.”
To keep herself positive and motivated, Annu is reading Swami Vivekananda books and watching inspirational videos of sports stars. “I watch videos of big players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Phelps. How they started the sport, and what struggles they faced in their careers, and how they got past through them. You get to learn a lot from learning about them,” she says.
“I do a bit of time to meditation. I also am cooking food during my time,” she adds.
With the athletes still not allowed to train at the campus, Annu finds herself time to do a few exercises she can to maintain her fitness. “There is a small area near our hostel. I jog for around 15-20 minutes and then do stepping for some time. I also do a few of the core exercises. There are some weights with us - so what exercises we have been advised to do - I am doing them to keep up my fitness levels,” she says.
Being away from family amid uncertain times, Annu says she has received the full support of her family, who keep asking her to keep her focus on the sport. “My family has told me that they have given me full freedom so that I give my full focus to my sport. So, they don’t speak to me about anything which gives me stress. They keep telling me that they are doing good and keep advising me not to step out of the hostel, and keep my focus on the sport,” she says.
After the lockdown ends, Annu does not plan to go home but to continue working on her sport. “After the lockdown ends, I don’t plan to go home. I can go home anytime. My main target is just the Olympics. So, I will keep my focus on that, and I will follow whatever plans my coaches tell me to do,” she says.
Annu, who bettered her own national record of 62.34 with a throw of 62.43 at the IAAF World Athletics Championship last year, is seen as India’s biggest hope in the javelin throw. Despite the Olympics being postponed, and the World Athletics Federation postponing the Olympics qualification period to December 1, Annu insists that she still backs herself to surpass the qualification mark, and will not rely on rankings to see her through to Tokyo.
“I have always planned to cross the qualification mark and not rely on rankings. The postponement of the qualification period won’t affect my plans. The Olympics have been postponed to 2021, so I see the upcoming national tournaments in India in September and October, as a way to gain experience, to work on my technical faults, and to learn from them.”
The 27-year-old Haryana born athlete sees the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics in a positive light. Annu says that she has been given extra time to prepare and she plans to make the most out of it.
“When we heard about the Tokyo Olympics getting postponed, we were all upset. We were really fit and had prepared really hard. We felt really bad. But there was no choice. It was a necessary decision to make. The whole world is facing this problem. So, I won’t see this as a negative. I will see it as a positive, that I have got more time to prepare. Now, we have got time, I will ensure I make the most of it and prepare myself in such a way to bag a medal,” she signs off.
