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Faster, farther: Shaili Singh targets a special natl mark and more
Shaili jumped the Asia leading mark of the year (6.76m) last week to qualify for Asian Games. Her mentor Anju Bobby George’s national mark is her next target.
“February 9, 2018. 9:30 AM.” Robert Bobby George, the Dronacharya Award-winning coach remembers the moment a precocious 14-year-old entered his academy. Robert and wife Anju Bobby George knew she was a potential star when they saw Shaili Singh compete in the U-14 junior national athletics in 2017. Within a year, they got Singh to join their academy in Bengaluru.
Last Saturday, Shaili came within eight centimetres of breaking Anju’s national record of 6.83m — set in the 2004 Athens Olympics long jump final — while winning the title at the Indian Grand Prix 4 event in her adopted home city. With her career-best 6.76m, Shaili, 19, has the second-longest jump by an Indian woman.
Her impressive series of jumps -- 6.58, foul, 6.76, 6.64, foul, 6.66 -- meant each jump bettered her previous best (6.41m) and would have also given her victory as second-placed Nayana James could only produce a best of only 6.53m.
“I had not been at my best for a year now, so the itch to excel was there. My performance at the Asian Indoor Championships in Kazkahstan (6.27m) was not great and I had begun to question myself,” Shaili said.
She was coming off a tough 'transition year' — as Robert puts it — where her body and confidence had taken a beating. The nine-month rehabilitation that followed a lower back injury ended in March but the psychological impact lasted longer.
The injury suffered in the last leap of her silver-winning effort at the U-20 World Championships in Nairobi in 2021 put Shaili on bed rest for two months. Lying on her hostel bed, all Shaili could do was wait. And do a bit of reading and watch Netflix.
“The bed rest was traumatic. I would just weep all day in frustration. I also feared for my career. I just wanted to get back on the field. At times I would lie to everyone that there was no pain just to be allowed to go out, but nothing helped.”
For Robert, Shaili's injury recalled his training Anju, who had suffered a similar injury. “Such injuries are part of the sport, but as an athlete it is very difficult to accept. I drew on my experience with Anju to motivate Shaili and keep her in the right space," he said.
TOO MUCH STRESS
“The stress fracture happened because Shaili would over arch her back while jumping, which would put a lot of stress on her lower back. It is the kind of injury fast bowlers get. We needed to alter her technique to avoid injuries. We made a number of small changes to her technique and added more power-intensive workouts.”
The post rehab phase was no less challenging. “It was like starting all over again. Luckily, at her age the recovery is quite fast,” Robert said.
Performances didn't arrive straightaway. Her legal best achieved in 2022 (6.41m) was 18 cm shy of the wind-aided 6.59m that helped win the U-20 Worlds silver a year before. While Shaili fretted over the results, Robert persisted.
“Progressive loading is the key. You can't rush an athlete into competition and heavy training after that kind of break. I could sense a lot of hesitation in her jumps. She became overprotective, perhaps because of the fear of getting hurt again.”
Then there were the niggles. Knee and ankle were constant issues, and a right toe fracture — suffered during hurdles training — forced her to skip the U20 Worlds in Colombia.
BUILDING POWER
As part of the rebuilding, more effort went into increasing Shaili’s explosive power, lengthening her run-up and acceleration in the last 10 strides. From a 16-stride, 34m run-up, Shaili went to 18 strides and 39m.
“She even does 39.5m some days. Her average speed has gone up. She now does power clean (lifting to build explosive power) in excess of 80kg. The results are showing. But she needs to perform overseas. We are trying to get her into some Diamond League events,” Robert said.
Shaili's 6.76m is Asia’s leading mark of the year. It has also helped qualify for the Asian Games. The Budapest world championships qualifying mark is 6.85m. Shaili can also make the cut on the basis of her world ranking at the end of the qualification period on July 30.
“Breaking Anju ma’am's national record is a dream. I hope to do it very soon. I have rested enough. Now, I want to make up for lost time,” Shaili says.
