As the 65th National Inter State Athletics Championships get underway here on Wednesday, all eyes are on India’s star distance runner Gulveer Singh.
The 28-year-old Army athlete, already an Asian Games bronze medallist and national record holder in 5,000m and 10,000m, is using this final selection event as a high-stakes laboratory to perfect the explosive finishing laps that win medals on the global stage.
“To win medals at the global level, it’s important for me to learn to shift into top gear in the closing stages,” Gulveer told reporters on the eve of the meet.
His coach has accordingly expanded his training focus to middle-distance events. Fresh from racing the mile and 1500m in the USA, Gulveer will line up in the 1,500m besides his signature 5,000m and 10,000m events in Bhubaneswar.
The five-day championship carries massive importance: it is the last major domestic competition before the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) finalises the Indian team for the Asian Games, scheduled to begin on 19 September in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Gulveer is the overwhelming favourite for the men’s 5,000m title on Day 1, but he insists the real mission is bigger than another domestic gold. “Competing in middle-distance events is part of my preparation for the Japan Asian Games,” he emphasised.
Odisha’s home favourite Animesh Kujur is equally fired up. The talented sprinter, who will contest the 100m and 200m, has set his sights on rewriting the national records in both events. “Bhubaneswar is my home ground. I’ve plans to do something extraordinary this time,” Kujur declared confidently.
Several Olympians and national record holders will be in action across the meet, making it one of the strongest domestic fields in recent years. Once the championships conclude, AFI’s Chairman Planning Commission Lalit Bhanot said the federation will announce the probables for the Asian Games.
For Gulveer Singh and India’s distance running brigade, the message is clear: the real race is only just beginning.
