I see a lot of talent from India, like Hima Das and Dutee Chand, waiting to be unveiled on an international level and that can be expedited by providing athletes with the right infrastructural benefits. It would be good if meets are conducted on the synthetic surface, regardless of their level — district, state or national. It is acceptable to train on mud track, but not compete. For one, if the aim is international, the athletes should be exposed to international standards and expectations very early into their training. Additionally, performances can be best gauged only when the track is accurately made, which is possible on synthetic surface and not on mud. Again, for many athletes these events are their nationals, Asian or Olympics, so why not let them get a feel of national and international events at the local level that not only makes them feel important, but also results in retention of their interest in sports. Providing athletes with the platform will motivate them to continue rather than quit athletics. While conducting events for athletes, we need to keep in mind that competitions are for athletes and they should be provided with the best in return for the hard work they put in. That said I understand the expenses involved in the use of synthetic surfaces, but that fades in comparison to the far reaching benefits that are achieved in terms of athletic development.”
Talent search
Racers Track Club is a sprint training group based in Kingston, Jamaica, established by Glen Mills. This is the club where athletes like Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Warren Weir train under head-coach Glen Mills and his right-hand man - Jermaine Shand. Coach Shand decided to visit Pune after noticing a few promising athletes. He trains a small group of young athletes in the city at Balewadi Sports Complex.
Jermaine Shand (International Coach from Racers Track Club, Jamaica)
Athletics association should not make mockery of young athletes
With all the national and international athletics events happening on synthetic track, it is a must that the athletics association should take state meets on synthetic track. If you conduct district event, which is a selection meet for state team, on synthetic track, then it is players’ loss. They practice on synthetic track and then you tell them to run on mud track – it will impact their timings. And the worst part is if an athlete gets selected for the state team, then s/he will again compete on synthetic track. In this conundrum, it is the athletes whose fitness and timings are affected as running on two different tracks will produce different timings. The association should take steps to lay synthetic track in other parts of Maharashtra and benefit rural athletes. Cities like Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur should also cooperate with other regions of the state as athletes’ future is at stake.
Sayali Shinde
{{/usCountry}}Sayali Shinde
{{/usCountry}}AFI should step in for athletes’ sake
Many promises are made by the state association that they are taking steps to promote sports and physical education at school level, but it is hardly seen on the ground. When athletes win medals, state association felicitate them and present cash awards. What is the association doing to improve sports facilities at school level? Hardly any fund is allocated. When Pune hosted Khelo India earlier this year, we had to move hockey to Mumbai as the ground was not in a good condition. Athletes suffer if the state association holds meet on mud track. When the timings achieved on mud tracks are not considered for national selections, then why does the state association organises meets on mud track? Athletics Federation of India (AFI) must take note of all these happening and should question state and take proactive measures.
Suvarna Deolankar
Mud track helps to gain speed
Running on mud track helps the athlete. It improves speed and helps achieve better results on synthetic track. Importantly, no runner should switch from mud to synthetic directly. If you have an event on synthetic track, then practice on synthetic for six months before taking part in the contest. Every athlete will have a different opinion on this.
Nagraj Khurasne
Championships should be held only on synthetic tracks
Planning to organise state meet on mud track is like going one step backwards. Association knows how important is for the state to provide athletes good sports facilities. Still they opt for such options for vested interests. When Pune District Junior Athletics Championship can be organised at Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi without any trouble then why cannot state meet at the same venue? If dates were an issue then it could be rescheduled or venues like Mumbai and Ratnagiri could be planned, but why Maharashtra Athletics Association (MAA) chose Sangli? Is fund an issue? If they are crying that other cities don’t have lodging facilities then they are fooling public for selfish benefit. Athletics Federation of India (AFI) should ensure that events happen on synthetic tracks.
Saurabh Kakliya
Mud tracks are uneven
As majority of sprinters train on synthetic tracks, organisers should opt for synthetic from the beginning. An athlete’s career should commence on a synthetic track and it is not difficult considering the fact that numerous such tracks are now being constructed across various districts in Maharashtra. The meets always take place on a synthetic track from the national level, so why not make it easier for athletes by being consistent and hosting each event on a single type of track? When athletes, who have trained and competed on mud tracks, compete on a synthetic track, they take a little time to adapt as the latter offers more bounce and a stronger grip. Mud tracks are uneven and every athlete knows that the time set on a synthetic track is better than mud. We have personally had some bad experiences on mud tracks. Our athletes participated in some competitions which were held on a mud track which had no lanes. It was a plain track with no markings and the organisers conducted the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter sprints on that blank track. The districts with synthetic tracks did not volunteer for a state selection event. They have an issue with funds or their tracks are damaged. Even if we understand their financial situation, when will they think from the athlete’s point of view? If you cannot afford to host tournaments on these tracks, then why were these tracks constructed in the first place? According to me, a slightly damaged synthetic track is still better than a well-maintained mud track.
Sudhakar Memane
Every athletic meet should be on a synthetic track
Ideally, every athletic meet should be on a synthetic track, because the level of athletics in the country is rising consistently. Every passionate athlete deserves a track which will get the best out of them. All the athletes who are still training on mud tracks can surely improve their performance and timing on the synthetic track. New synthetic tracks are being constructed in Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Aurangabad and a few more cities. I expect majority of the districts in Maharashtra to have synthetic tracks in the next five years and I hope we don’t have to debate on this topic then. For now, if a state-selection tournament is on a mud track, I hope the selection committee sets the qualifying time accordingly. The athletes are not going to beat a synthetic track time on a mud track.
Speaking of improving things, photo-finish cameras should also be used from the beginning. The electronic time is clearly more accurate than a person with a stop-watch. An athlete can fail to qualify by just a fraction of a second, which could have been due to the absence of an electronic time keeper. Thankfully, electronic time was in play at the state-selection tournament in Dervan, Ratnagiri. The usage of synthetic tracks coupled with electronic timing, from a grass-root level, will prevent a lot of injuries and controversies as athletes will appreciate the seriousness and perform better.
Sudhanshu Khaire
I injured myself on mud track
We train on synthetic tracks with an aim to reach the national and international levels, which are also on synthetic tracks. If all of a sudden, a selection tournament is held on a mud track, it is a big blow for us. Numerous athletes get injured due to this sudden change of surface. I have sprinted on a mud track when I participated in a district-level competition which was on a mud track, in which I ended up limping of the track after twisting my ankle due to the uneven surface. The serious fear of hamstring and ankle injuries comes with the mud tracks. India is performing really well in Athletics on an international level, which shows the true potential of this nation in Athletics. Better tournaments with proper tracks and facilities for young athletes will make things better for both, the athletes and the nation. Hence, all mud tracks should be replaced with synthetic tracks.
Synthetic tracks are beneficial for every athlete. Athletes who train on mud tracks can enhance their performance on synthetics, whereas athletes who train on synthetics will struggle terribly on mud. The culture of training exclusively on a synthetic track should be inculcated in every child who enters the world of Athletics. I have seen athletes younger than me get injured on a mud surface. The break to recover from the injury disrupts their momentum and affects their performance. Injuries occur on a synthetic surface too, but compared to the mud tracks, the number of injuries is extremely low.
Athletics on a local level needs to evolve from mud to synthetics, while the synthetic facilities should be maintained and should be available to us. I train at Sanas Ground and that track is overcrowded. Numerous academies are running there, the Police and civilians train there and there are stray dogs on the track. The new track at Pune University is still unavailable for us, because they are apparently looking for a politician to inaugurate the track. It has been two years and we are still waiting. I still believe that the Maharashtra Athletics Association is improving. We saw electronic time being used in the state-selection and I hope more positive things follow that.”
Siddhi Hire