Latest news with #InspireInstituteofSports
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Inspire Institute of Sports to support Indian women's rowing team
The Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) has taken up the challenge of building the Indian women's rowing team to be a competitive unit in the Nagoya Asian Games next year, by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rowing Federation of India. As part of the drive, 20 women rowers went through a stringent selection process at the High Performance Centre in Bellary. The squad will be pruned to 14 athletes who will form the core group for long-term training and international exposure. The athletes will be guided by Angus Seller of Australia, both at the IIS and in Australia, where they would train with top international rowers in a high-performance environment. 'We see great potential in these women. With the right support, scientific guidance and consistent training, we are confident that they can break through at the international level. We will support them with everything. The goal is to build a winning mindset and fast-track their development for the Asian Games,' said the president of IIS, Manisha Malhotra. 'They are gifted rowers, but need to focus on building strength and endurance. I don't see any reason why they can't do well on the international circuit,' said Seller. 'This partnership with IIS is a pivotal moment for Indian rowing. It brings a structured athlete development system for our women's team,' said the president of Rowing Federation, Rajlaxmi Singh Deo.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Bartonietz backs Neeraj to hit 90m more often
New Delhi: Klaus Bartonietz, the venerated German biomechanics expert, was on a flight to Delhi when Neeraj Chopra sent his spear soaring into the Doha night sky last Friday, finally breaching the 90m barrier. Happy and relieved, he texted congratulations to his former ward and quietly moved on to his next assignment. The 76-year-old is currently on a weeklong visit to the Hisar centre of the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) where he is training a group of 21 throwers 'to become the next Neeraj Chopras'. 'I sent him my wishes for crossing 90 metres and also for being promoted to the rank of (honorary) Lieutenant Colonel. Both are big honours,' he said. Having trained the Indian javelin ace for five years, from his career-threatening elbow injury in 2019 to last year's Paris Olympics, Bartonietz has been witness to Chopra's quest for the 90m throw from the time he took him under his wings as a 'young, aggressive thrower who would just run in and throw hard'. 'Back then, he didn't have a stable stance. He would take the hip off too early. Gradually, he started to feel his throws, stabilise his block, feel his approach. It's been a great journey. 'And throughout this journey, we kept telling each other, '90m is just a number'. But deep down, we knew how badly we wanted it. It puts him in a very elite company, the one where he truly belongs.' Chopra, Bartonietz informed, once threw 90m with a 700g javelin in a training session leading up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the duo was confident he would hit the mark at the Games. At the Japanese capital though, 87.58m was enough to make him India's first track and field Olympic gold medallist. 'You can keep throwing 90m in training, but the stress of competitions is something else. A lot of big throwers crumble in big events, but Neeraj is able to maintain his consistency.' A year later, Chopra threw 89.94m at the Stockholm Diamond League, agonisingly falling short of the desired mark but reinforcing their confidence. 'If you look closely, Neeraj released the javelin a few metres behind the foul line. And so, if you measure his distance from the point of release, it was over 90m. We knew it was only a matter of time,' Bartonietz recalled. Chopra, training under former Czech great Jan Zelezny since the Paris Games, threw 90.23 to finish second in Doha. The 'matter of time' lasted nearly three years with Chopra's groin niggle flaring up sporadically. Throwing, much like fast bowling, involves unnatural body movements where the twisting action puts tremendous stress on the lower back and groin. 'In javelin, we have to bring the hips around so fast which can cause a groin injury. He first felt discomfort in a session where he felt he was throwing at his best. It's strange,' Bartonietz said. Observing his protege from a distance, the German has noticed some 'micro changes' in his technique, which still appears a work in progress to him. Even the 90m throw, he analysed, had its imperfections. 'In my opinion, he was a little too straight but the javelin still landed effectively. I feel the javelin was sitting too hard with him; it was not relaxed enough, not controlled enough. That's because it's just the start of the season, and Neeraj will only get better.' Chopra's first throw in Doha travelled over 88m without him putting any visible stress on his body. However, his pronounced follow-through, where he would allow his body to fall, was missing. In his third attempt, where Chopra nailed the 90m throw, he did fall over but the body stayed in control. Bartonietz isn't sure which of the two methods work best – 'I'll have to do some research on that' – but he believes Chopra has unlocked the secret to throw far. 'Remember, he is yet to peak this season and he is a firm believer in process. He understands what process got him the desired throw and he will perfect it. There are more 90m throws in him and we can expect them this season itself. 'Men's javelin is very competitive with almost every thrower capable of hitting 90m. Neeraj's mental strength along with his ability to go 90m or beyond will give him a big edge in big events.'
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Neeraj's former coach Bartonietz takes up a new challenge in India
Klaus Bartonietz decided to step away from coaching last year after a five-year stint with Neeraj Chopra, but the German biomechanics expert is back in India, in a new role, aiming to guide the next generation of javelin throwers. Coming on as a consultant with JSW's Inspire Institute of Sports, Bartonietz held a week-long training camp at its academy in Hisar, working with upcoming talent including the likes of Jyoti — India's best thrower after Annu Rani at the moment — South Asian under-20 gold medallist Deepika and 18-year old Manpreet Singh, who trained in South Africa earlier this year. The searing heat in the region has been a non-issue for the 76-year-old. 'It is good, the heat, cold is not good for training,' he quipped. Champion coach in town! 👨🏫✨#TeamIIS is proud to announce that Dr. Klaus Bartonietz, who previously coached Neeraj Chopra to his Tokyo Olympics Gold, has joined us as the technical expert for the throws programme in Hisar. He had a five-day session with our throwers at Hisar.… — Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) May 20, 2025 'I'm retired as a full-time, responsible coach. I need more time for family in Germany, daughter with grandchildren in Australia. But I asked Manisha Malhotra, and she had the idea to bring me in to support the coaches and athletes here in Hisar, where they are building a centre for throwers,' Bartonietz said in an exclusive interaction with The Hindu on Wednesday. The plan He explained that the plan was to visit several times a year, for seven to 10 days, holding short camps and tracking athletes' progress. 'It was for a week now, maybe next time in July for two weeks. 'I will also be going around the village of Bangaon, where the javelin throwers are living in the Javelin Academy. I was critical, but it's a school with a really strong javelin centre, amazing talent. And they train hard,' Bartonietz added. The Bangaon academy in Haryana's Fatehabad district, started and run by coach Hanuman Singh, has the distinction of holding the National record in women's javelin in every age group except the senior level. Bartonietz also insisted that while the hype after Neeraj's Olympic gold saw interest spiking in javelin throw, a well-defined plan was essential to convert the potential into results in the long term. Relearning counterproductive 'It needs proper learning, a proper programme from the grassroots starting with kids, latest by 10-12 years, throwing javelins and learning to throw properly so that relearning is not necessary. Re-learning any technique is very counterproductive; it takes time and, in most cases, does not happen. Then they are not using their full potential and are prone to injuries. Glad to capture a moment with the men who made it possible - my coach Klaus Bartonietz and Physio Ishaan Marwaha. 🙏 — Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 13, 2024 'What we also don't want is rushing into success. The athletes, coaches, administration, and everyone is asking for medals and results everywhere in the world. You need to give them time to develop – these kids need a year for general preparation before they can start into event-specific training,' he explained. And yes, he did congratulate Neeraj after his recent 90m throw at the Doha Diamond League and was visibly proud of his ward. 'I was in flight during the competition, and then we got busy here, but I saw it later and messaged him. Nothing special, just congratulations, now that the mark is breached, keep going. 'I felt proud for Neeraj that he finally did it. And being sure that it's not the only one. Some athletes do it only once in life, then struggle all the time. But for him, this is just a stop on the way to bigger things, it's the beginning of the season. We have to plan to meet when he is in Europe... let's see,' he signed off.
