Ayushi resumes training after cyclone Amphan

Ayushi Podder with her father-cum-coach Pankaj.

After protecting her guns and other equipment from Cyclone Amphan, promising shooter Ayushi Podder has shifted her focus back to training at home.

Anticipating that the cyclone would be a severe one, Ayushi’s father and coach Pankaj wrapped her kit bag and other equipment in polythene sheets and stored them in the shower cubicle of his flat’s bathroom.

As the cyclone hit on May 20, water gushed in through a window of the Podder flat, situated on the fourth floor of a housing society on the outskirts of the city in Hooghly district.

“Our house was flooded with rain water. Since we don’t have cupboards in the house, at least 10 pairs of Ayushi’s sports shoes and some clothes got drenched. We had to give the shoes away to needy people.

However, we saved the gun and equipment by storing them in the shower cubicle (which is compact and has a raised platform),” Pankaj, also a shooter, told The Hindu . Now, Ayushi, who competes in 50m prone and 50m 3-positions rifle events, has resumed her training.

“Ayushi has begun her training again by doing simulation at home. Sometimes, we go downstairs to the makeshift range to train. Since the lift is not functioning, going down these days is a tough job,” said Pankaj.

With uncertainty surrounding the resumption of the National camp and competitions due to the lockdown, 19-year-old Ayushi will continue to train at home.