Coach Nambiar to target relay gold at Pusan Asiad

Coach Nambiar to target relay gold at Pusan Asiad
K RAMESH MATHEW

THRISSUR, DECEMBER 13: Om Nambiar has learnt a lesson the hard way. The former coach of PT Usha, often criticised by his detractors for making tall, unrealistic claims, has given up hopes of finding a successor for India'a greatest-ever sprint queen, who is dominating the Indian tracks even at the age of 35.

``I'm very disappointed. Now I'm sure that I will never be able to produce an ideal successor to Usha in the near future. Usha is certainly incomparable,'' Nambiar said at the 43rd Kerala State Junior Athletic Meet at Thrissur on Sunday.

``I have never said that another Usha can be created. It's all the creation of some over-zealous journalists. In fact, I had told on several occasions that I would be able to give the country an outstanding athlete. I'm still working on the project,'' Nambiar said.

At the doorsteps of the new millennium, Nambiar nurses a big dream. He wants to nurture an Indian 4x400 metre relay team comprising only his trainees from Kerala. The 1989 Asian Track and Field Meet inNew Delhi was the only championship where Indian women's 1600m relay team was represented by runners from Kerala. K Saramma, Mercy Kuttan, Shiny Wilson and Usha bagged the gold, beating favourites China and Japan. Even the standby of that team Shantimol K Philips was from Kerala.

The women's 4x100 team of that meet too had three members from Kerala Usha, Shiny and Saramma. Ashwini Nachappa was the fourth member. The quartet came a close second to China.

With a sponsor to back him, one gets an impression that much of Nambiar's problems seems to be over.

``I have now five exceptionally talented girls R Sukumari, Nicy Joseph, Sheeba Joseph, S Jiji and Linnet K Mathew practising under my supervision. Being sponsored by V-Guard, the major stabiliser manufacturing company, I have little worries right now as far as finances are concerned. I will build a team for the future comprising these girls.

``My target is a gold medal in one of the relays at the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan. If everything goes well,my wards will bag a gold there. And I can call it a day after that,'' he said.

When pointed out that Usha's records are being broken one by one even at the varsity meets, Nambiar shot back: ``Records are meant to be broken. Don't compare Archana V Gupta (who broke Usha's 19-year-old record in 100m in the Calicut University meet a few days ago). Usha ran a sub-12 time even before attaining the age of 18 (in 1981 inter-varsity meet at Gwalior). Archana, if I'm right, broke the 12-seconds barrier (at the Kerala Games) after crossing 20 years.''

Nambiar also predicted that his protege R Sukumari would win the shorter sprint at the forthcoming All-India Inter-varsity meet at Gwalior. ``And then tell me who is better, Archana or Sukumari.''