Even after a five-month break, when Jyoti Vishwakarma returned to the equestrian academy here, Stella recognised her. Donning riding boots and clutching a helmet at her waist, the 13-year-old stepped inside the stable and called to her: The mare, much heavier than before, neighed excitedly while stomping its hooves.
“I am surprised Stella remembers me after all these months,” said Ms. Vishwakarma, who bagged three national medals in 2018, while brushing the mare’s toes after a morning practice session. Both the rider and the horse have gained weight, but Stella refuses to jump higher or gallop longer like before owing to months of inactivity. “We will regain the rhythm in a few weeks,” she said.
Top-performing sportspersons across Madhya Pradesh, having forgone nearly a season of activity to the COVID-19 pandemic, scramble to make up for lost practice sessions, restore fitness and recall techniques and grapple with the persisting pressure to get back in form. “Sessions for 94 international players and national medal winners across six no contact disciplines have started in Bhopal. Besides, 20 players in Jabalpur and 12 in Shivpuri have also started practicing,” said Vikas Kharadkar, Assistant Director, Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare (DSYW).
Online training
Online training and counselling sessions coupled with interaction with coaches kept players abreast of their disciplines during the lockdown when academies remained shut, said Pavan Jain, Director, DSYW. “Now we have decided to focus on probable medal winners,” he said. Before stepping onto the field, each player took the RT-PCR — one player tested positive for COVID-19 — and a fitness test.
At the equestrian academy, assistant coaches conditioned livestock when riders stayed home, said coach Bhagirath, a former Army officer. “Players constantly asked me when we would reopen. When you don’t get something, you realise its real value. Now, the 10 of them are practising with renewed vigour.” Riders have their sight set on a junior championship in Jaipur in October.
Lost flexibility
Anxiety usually gripped riders around the evening, the usual practice timing, during the lockdown, said Umar Ali, 16. Whereas Faraz Khan, 29, felt the reopening gave way to a conflict between riders and horses. “The animals are irritable now as they can’t bear the same stress as before, and have lost flexibility,” he said. Mr. Khan read more about the dressage discipline back home, and returned only to realise Harley Cain, his horse, had to be taught skills from scratch. “The lockdown has eroded the muscle memories of the animals,” he said.
Having set the junior world record in the 50 metre rifle three positions in 2019, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, 19, secured an Olympic quota for India, and was prepared for the 2020 summer event, now postponed. “My position, posture and strength have taken a hit during the lockdown. If earlier I could take 100 shots in one go while standing, now it’s dropped to 20,” he said, while calmly buttoning the gear. “But I will be fine in a few days,” he chuckled. After four months of no weapons training, he started dry practising at home in June.
Working hard
A 25 metre pistol shooter, Chinki Yadav had also secured an Olympic quota for India. “I had my schedule ready, the plan was there, but then the pandemic struck,” she said. However, she remains unfazed by the prospect of another Indian player outperforming her during trials, and landing an Olympic berth instead. “I am working hard, and don’t even let that thought cross me,” she said.
However, staying home for such a long stretch after seven years into sailing provided a unique opportunity to Harshita Tomar, 18, who won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Laser 4.7 open event. She went from 47 kg to 54 kg — sailors’ weight being crucial to pull the sail against the wind, and stood the fittest among players tested recently across disciplines. “I studied muscle-gaining techniques during the lockdown and the science behind it. Gaining weight while staying fit was the challenge. The long break let me stand back, rethink my techniques,” said Ms. Tomar.
The sailors rue the passing of the monsoon, which offers climate favourable to practice and similar to European conditions where many yearly championships are held, without practice sessions. The nagging thought his competitors might be practising regularly while he stayed home doing nothing haunted Rammilan Yadav, 18, a Laser Standard player. “After I returned, I noticed I had slowed and my agility had been hit,” he said.
