Call it a case of ego-clash or that of difference in expertise, but end of the day, a promising Indian athlete is bearing the brunt of it.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) athletics coach Kuntal Roy and Mittal Champions Trust administrator Manisha Malhotra have very different opinions about where heptathlete Sushmita Singha Roy (picture top) should train.

A fight over that has resulted in a premature termination of her contract with the trust. Her five-year-old contract has been ended after just nine months.

That has complicated things, says Roy, adding that financial constraints are becoming a huge obstacle in her preparations for the Beijing Olympics. “We are trying our best to get some sponsors, but nothing concrete has happened so far,” Roy said.

A comparison of India’s top heptathletes:

•Asian Championship (2005): Incheon Soma Biswas: Gold (5377 points) Sushmita Singha Roy: Silver (5308 points)

•Asian Games (2006): Doha Soma Biswas: Silver (5675 points) JJ Shobha: Bronze (5662 points)

•Asian Championship (2007): Amman JJ Shobha: Silver (5356 points) Sushmita Singha Roy: Bronze (5154 points)

According to Roy, the Mittal Trust has done more damage to his ward than assisting her. “Other business houses and government departments are still under the impression that we are getting huge amount of money from them. But the facts are different,” he said. Sushmita, an employee of the Railways, comes from a middle class family, and it is beyond her means to provide the finances required to train for the Olympics on her own, says Roy.

... contd.