They still grapple with traditional methods

THEY are away from the maddening crowd. Least perturbed by the hustle and bustle of the evergrowing Cyberabad. And, in glaring contrast to the hi-tech world, they still grapple with traditional methods of training with old equipment. Quietly undergoing intensive training sessions in the Andhra Pradesh Sports School (Hakimpet), about 25 km from Hyderabad. This can well be a major nursery for weightlifters if everything goes according to plans being chalked out by the dedicated coach S. A. Singh. For one who joined the institution four years ago, he has been a source of inspiration and a model for discipline. His no- nonsense approach has already produced the results in the junior category.

Sixteen-year-old Haritha from Kurnool has won the gold in the 58 kg category with a combined effort of 75 kg snatch and 100 kg in clean and jerk in the Youth Asian championship in Korea recently. In fact, Haritha is fast emerging as the brightest star on the weightlifting firmament having picked up a gold in the 63 kg category in the junior Nationals in Varanasi. Ch.Indu is another promising youngster with a bronze in the junior Nationals besides the silver in the South India championship. In fact, the list of prospective contenders is pretty impressive and promises a very bright future.

It can be safely said that while the school is trapped in a quagmire of dirty politics over the last one year, a silent `revolution' of sorts is on in the weightlifting hall at Hakimpet. The credit goes to the coach who ensured that his wards stayed away far from the murky affairs of the school administration and be focussed on the job on hand - train with all sincerity and dedication to win medals at the highest level. How is he managing the show? ``Well, the best part here is that the trainees come at a very young age of eight to nine years and tend to be very attentive and obedient. Once they develop the interest in the sport, they show unusual willingness to learn,'' he explained. Not for nothing is Singh a reputed coach for he trained the Services team by virtue of his own gold-medal winning performance a few years ago.

For the enthusiastic trainees, it is not all about weightlifting. Their coach is careful to see that all their problems are attended to in a polite manner. To put it simply, he is a friend, philosopher and guide. For instance, when he sensed that Haritha contemplated quitting the school after the 10th Standard as the institution doesn't provide subjects of her choice - Intermediate (Maths, Physics and Chemistry) - Singh quietly put in a word to the authorities and got special lecturers to meet the needs of the candidate. Consequently, she is now a prospective medallist. Having rubbed her shoulders with the Sydney Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari during a three-month national camp in Patiala, she is wiser by the experience. ``Just concentrate on the sport. You have a bright future being very young,'' were the words of comfort from Malleswari. Just the sort of tonic the budding stars need from champions.

It is pertinent to mention here that it was former director, Dr. N. Parameswara Ram, who first believed two years ago that weightlifters from the School would be a force to reckon with in future. In fact, it was he who defied objection from certain quarters in appointing S. A. Singh. Then the basic tests like endurance, agility, speed, flexibility, strength and stamina were suggested for admission to the School. After that the weightlifting coach was asked to identify probable candidates for his training. This was done by Singh's remarkable ability to spot the talent through the different tests - endomorph, ectomoroph, mesomorph (this one for weightlifters). ``The youngsters were identified at the age of 8 to 9 years and given general, physical conditioning till 11 years and then the emphasis on weightlifting,'' recalls Dr. Ram.

The weightlifting coach, who was an ex-Serviceman, feels that his job is made much more easier as besides training the youngsters, he can decide the diet they have to take. ``Every week I monitor their physical conditioning exercises, the amount of workload they put up,'' he says. That he can supercede even the nutrition experts in some cases speaks of the authority he commands on the subject. Interestingly, he identified seven girls and five boys for intensive training during the current summer. Obviously, his uncanny knack in spotting the talent is a rarity. For instance, the seven girls are Haritha (63 kg), Krishnaveni (48 kg), Ch. Indu (53 kg), B. Padma (58 kg), V. Chinnari (63 kg), P. Spandana (75 kg), K. Sandhya Rani (53 kg) and the boys are Ch. Ankaiah (56 kg), K.Ravi (69 kg), D. Jangaiah (62 kg), G. Nagaraju (77 kg) and B. Raj Kumar (69 kg). Of this select group, Neelamshetty Krishnaveni, niece of Neelamshetty Appana, the one who coached Karnam Malleswari in the formative stages of her career, has already made a mark for herself with a silver in the Senior Nationals in the 48 kg category with an effort of 77.5 + 92.5. Coming from Usavanipeta in Srikakulam district which is rich in weightlifting talent, she is another athlete on whom Singh is pinning lot of hopes. Spandana too picked a gold in the Nationals in the 75 kg category.

Even for the lifters who attend the national camp frequently, they feel more comfortable in the School. The logic is simple. The trainees get individual attention here as the regimen includes focus on general strength and fitness with Manikyala Rao assisting the chief coach. Amazingly, Singh claims that his wards are not aware of the usage of drugs to increase the performance level. He explains that the reason for this is they train as per specific schedule and requirements throughout the year. ``So, it is not that they land up at a meet without adequate preparations. I insist on Ayurvedic medicine and will not allow anything pertaining to Allopathy with the objective that my athletes should be clean in their performances,'' he emphasises.

The best part of the 57-year-old coach is that not many in the weightlifting circles even recognise him. He wants to be an unobtrusive guide leaving the job of performing to the wards. He is looking ahead for the Junior World Championship, in which he is confident his trainees will lift the country to glory. Is it over-confidence or plain speak will be known very soon.

V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM

Hyderabad

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