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Coaches squabble over women’s 4x400 relay team combination
NEW DELHI: Coaches accompanying the national women’s 4x400m relay team that will compete in the prelims at the Rio Olympics on Friday are involved in a dirty tussle.
NEW DELHI: Coaches accompanying the national women’s 4x400m relay team that will compete in the prelims at the Rio Olympics on Friday are involved in a dirty tussle.
It has been learnt from sources that instead of getting the right combination to ensure a good result, India’s foreign coach, Yuri Ogorodnik, and athletics legend PT Usha, are squabbling over the four athletes who would run the race.
Due to the disagreement, the members of the team have not been able to fine-tune the baton exchange, a vital cog in ensuring a quick time in relays. The team has been camping in Rio for the past fortnight. But the members are yet to train together.
“Baton exchange is a crucial factor, it would add to the confidence of the players, but no training has been held,” said a member of the national team.
Usha’s protégés, Tintu Luka and teenager Jisna Mathew, are among the six athletes in the squad. Tintu also ran the 800m race where she failed to qualify for the next round after finishing sixth in her heats. Since she was focusing on the 800 run, she didn’t train with the relay team.
Till Thursday, members of the team were unsure who would run the anchor and the first legs during the race.
Apparently, Usha wants to push Jisna into the final relay quartet too. Ogorodnik, the expert from Ukraine who has been overseeing the relay team’s training for the past 12 months, does not want that to happen.
At this moment, it looks uncertain if the quartet of Nirmala Sheoran, Tintu Luka, MR Poovamma and Anilda Thomas, who clocked 3:27.88 seconds in Bengaluru on July 10 to qualify for Rio, would be the first choice.
It is strange that the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has not stepped in so far to decide the composition of the team.
What is more intriguing is that AFI secretary CK Valson is also present at Rio, along with national coach RS Sidhu. Valson, it is learnt, has been a mute spectator to the squabbling between Usha and the foreign coach.
When contacted, Valson didn’t give any reason for the delay in announcing the four-member team for the first round. He said the names would be made public on Friday. “Would let you know tomorrow,” was his reply.
