4 days ago
With national record in 200m, Animesh's bronze is gold standard
In a competition where India won 24 medals, including eight gold medals, it's easy for a solitary bronze to be overlooked. Yet, in terms of sporting significance, the one won by Animesh Kujur in the men's 200m at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi shines just as bright as gold.
The 21-year-old streaked past his own National Record, set just last month, stopping the clock at 20.32 seconds. He became only the second Indian ever to win a medal in this event at the Asian Championships in over half a century.
'Till now I was just winning medals at the national level. This is my first medal in my first international championships. This is just the start of my international career,' Animesh says on video call, a big smile plastered across his face.
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Just a couple of days earlier, late on Thursday, there was a very different call. On the other end of the line was Martin Owens, chief coach at the Reliance Odisha High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.
'Animesh was going to run his first heat on Friday morning. He told me he was really nervous about running the next day,' recalls Martin.
A Big Challenge
It wasn't hard to see why. The 21-year-old was competing in his first international event for India. Although he had only been included in the Indian team after breaking the 200m national record with a time of 20.40s last month, the Asian Championships marked a significant step up in class. In 25 editions over 52 years, just one other Indian (Dharambir Singh in 2015, who subsequently failed a doping test) had won a medal in this event.
Moreover, Animesh wasn't in peak physical condition. He'd caught a cold on the journey to South Korea. 'He was congested and running a fever. He'd been having a couple of turbulent days, mostly drinking hot liquids and sleeping,' says Martin.
It wasn't the ideal build-up to an event. Martin talked him down. 'I just told him to go for a walk and drink a cup of tea. That calmed him down,' Martin says. 'That first day was hard, but since then he's been fantastic.'
What stood out for Martin was how intelligently Animesh planned his races. In international championships, sprints involve multiple rounds – heats, semis, and finals – meant to whittle down participants. Animesh, already under the weather, had to manage his energy.
Another runner might have had the experience to do this. Animesh, however, is a relatively late starter in track and field, having only taken up the sport at 16.
Limited Experience
Until then, Animesh, the son of a police officer from Chhattisgarh, had been a football player at his Sainik School in Ambikapur. 'It was only after I passed out of school in 2020 and didn't have a team anymore that I looked to find another sport,' he recalls.
That sport turned out to be track and field. He entered the state junior competition almost on a whim. 'I didn't know anything about athletics at that time. I didn't even know who the top athletes were. I just knew who Usain Bolt was. I took part in both the 100m and the shot put because they let me compete in both,' he says.
What stood out for Martin was how intelligently Animesh planned his races. In international championships, sprints involve multiple rounds – heats, semis, and finals – meant to whittle down participants. Animesh, already under the weather, had to manage his energy. | Photo Credit: Asian Athletics
With a naturally powerful build – a heavily muscled 6'2' – Animesh was good enough to make it through to the state team and compete in the junior national championships the following year. Two years later, he won gold at the juniors and was signed by Martin, a UK-based sprints coach brought to India by the Reliance Foundation, to train at the Odisha High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.
In the two years since he began training with Martin, Animesh has gone from strength to strength. 'When he started with us, he couldn't even do a goblet squat properly, but he's very competitive and he's improved massively as a runner,' says Martin. His late start, however, meant Animesh lacked the race experience other athletes had.
But that didn't show in Gumi. In the heats, he ran 20.98s to finish behind Shota Iizuka of Japan. In the semis, he clocked 20.81s, finishing second to Japan's Towa Uzawa, who ran 20.67s. 'I knew I didn't have to win the heats. I had to save my energy for the final, and that's what I did,' Animesh will say later.
While Animesh downplays it, Martin emphasises how crucial the strategy was. 'He ran the championships really well. It's his first ever major international championship. He's never even competed at an age-group championship. It was a big, big test for him. He was intelligent through the rounds, running the heats and semis just to qualify, and he got faster each round. That's exactly what we were looking for.'
Steady Progress
In the final too, Animesh showed improvement in race technique. As a relatively tall runner, he takes time to reach his peak frequency. In Gumi, though, he got off the blocks quickly. 'He started really well. He's done a lot of work on his starts at camp and while he's been away, and that's obviously paid off,' says Martin.
While he shaved 0.08 seconds off his national record, Martin believes there's room for more improvement. 'We just need to work a bit more on his speed on the bend. Being in lane 7, he didn't quite grasp what was going on inside him. He could have started working a bit earlier.'
Though Animesh ran a great final straight, Atafi finished just ahead with 20.31s – a Saudi National Record. Ahead of both was Japan's Uzawa, who clocked a personal best 20.12s, a new championship record. | Photo Credit: RF Youth Sports
Based on Animesh's start, Martin was expecting him to win silver, but Saudi Arabian sprinter Abdulaziz Atafi pushed ahead earlier on the bend. Though Animesh ran a great final straight, Atafi finished just ahead with 20.31s – a Saudi National Record. Ahead of both was Japan's Uzawa, who clocked a personal best 20.12s, a new championship record.
Rather than seeing their opponents' speed as a setback, Martin says it's crucial for Animesh's growth. 'If he had run the same race in India, he would probably have won by 7 or 8 metres. But Animesh needs to race faster guys like this. As he races faster people, he gets faster. He'll cope with their speeds better.'
While they will keep pushing, Martin admits he's impressed with Animesh's progress. 'When he first started with us, his best times were in the 21.1-second range. At the start of this year, he was running 20.50 in his best races. The goal I'd set was for him to run 20.50 consistently, but he's already improved that to 20.32. I'll have to update my expectations as a coach.'
Raising the Bar
Martin's original target had been for Animesh to compete at the World University Games in Bochum, Germany. There, a 20.50-second run would have placed him on the podium. Now, with an Asian medal, Martin believes Animesh could qualify for the senior World Championships. 'He will possibly qualify through the points system. If he does, it would be a massive achievement for a young 21-year-old who's just really learning his trade. It's a very long shot, but he might even run the qualifying standard (20.12). Should he get anywhere near that, that's a world-class time. Hopefully he gets close to it. But I think he's going to lower the national record a couple more times.'
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As what once seemed unthinkable now feels possible, Martin says Animesh will set his sights higher. 'This result will give him a lot of confidence. He'll be better at the next Asian Championships. He'll be stronger. He knows he can run well at championships. He knows he can handle multiple races. But he also knows there are faster guys out there, and he'll want to beat them. That's important. He's a competitor. He'll come back stronger,' says Martin.
Animesh agrees. 'At first when I finished the race, I was feeling happy. But when I got on the podium I didn't feel as happy. Bronze is not bad, but to win gold and have the national anthem playing is a very different feeling. But this just tells me I have to work more. I'll take this as motivation for next time.'
