Kushagra Rawat ka ak dream hai. “ Mera main target Olympics hai, har athlete Olympian banna chahta hai,” wo kahte hain, jabki unki aankhon ke chaaro taraf oval shaped dents hain, lambe time tak swimming goggles pahenne ke baad, aapko ghoorte hain.
24 saal ke Kushagra ko Tokyo Games me debut karna tha but ak injury ki wajah se wo compete nahi kar paaye. Wah Asian Games and World Championships ke liye Hangzhou me the, but wo Olympics ki tarah nahi the.
Wah Vijaynagar me Inspire Institute of Sports me training lekar start kar rahe hain. Kushagra IIS ke new Mizuho High Performance Swimming Programme me se ak hain.
Summer Games me swimming ak tarah se golden goose hai. 2020 me, iss game me 35 events thi, jinme 111 medals daaon par lage the. Halanki recent editions me medals ke numbers increase huye hain, but swimming jo 1986 me inaugural Olympics ke baad se program ka part rahi hai, ne hamesha sabse jada inaam diya hai.
Kuchh logon ne iss code ko crack kar diya hai. USA ke pass swimming ke 580 medals hain jinme se 257 gold medals hain. Ye 1896 se pool me contested medals ka 32% se adhik hai. Australia 213 medals ke saath 2nd place pe hai. 1952 tak iske paas sirf 29 medals the but 1956 me Melbourne se start hokar Australia ne iss sport me shaandar badhat haasil ki hai.
But the fact that sporting ki powerhouses Great Britain, Russia and Japan bhi abhi tak 100 medals ka aankada paar nahi kar paaye hain, it means ki ye code crack karna shayad sabse easy nahi hai.
Iske comparison me India ak modest aspirations wala nation raha hai, jo mostly aise sports me busy hota hai jo rural populace me rooted hai- wrestling, boxing and hockey kuchh naam hain. But sirf 2 swimmers ne ‘A’ qualification timing (2020 me Sajan Prakash and Srihari Nataraj) ke saath Olympics ke liye qualify Kiya hai, jo iss uncomfortable reality se parda uthata hai ki India kitne pichhe hai. ‘A’ qualifying times previous Olympic Games ke 16 fastest times par based hain.
Asian level par Sandeep Sejwal and Virdhawal Khade ki success ki kuch different stories hain but India ne abhi tak iss level ko touch tak nahi kiya hai. Heroes se bhare country me swimming me heroes ki kami ne iss sport ko fringes pe rakha hai. IIS ke Chief Executive Officer Rushdee Warley kahte hain, “ I don’t think ye sirf India me hi hai. I think ye ak global phenomenon hai aur yahi (winning medals) youths ko inspire karta hai aur unhe ak dream deta hai. I mean, humne South Africa me bhi yahi dekha tha, jab 2004 me men’s relay team ne Olympic gold medal jeeta tha. Humne South Africa me impulsion of sprinters dekha aur ye ak natural phenomenona hai.”
Ye sunne me bhale hi easy lage but high performance ak aisa term hai jiska sports me bahot kam use hota hai. Warley explain karne ki koshish karte hain ki iska use athletes ko better banane ke liye kaise use kiya ja sakta hai: ye unn elements ka combination hai jo athletes ko uss time best perform karne ke liye inspire karte hain. Iski starting coaching elements, daily training environment se hoti hai.
It’s about sports science jo performance me difference laata hai. Aur jaisa ki aapne kaha ki ise bahut hi loosely idhar-udhar fenka jata hai but main high performance ke baare me jo sochna chahta hun wo ye hai ki ye aisi systems and processes hain jo logon ko unki potential ko fulfil karne ke liye allow karti hain. Ye ak Olympic medal, a state medal, a national medal and a national record ho sakta hai.
IIS ne state ki har district me 50m ke pools banane ke liye Odisha Government ke saath bhi partnership ki hai.
IIS me Kushagra ke coach Arilson Champam Indian swimmers ki mentality me change ke baare me bolte hain. Champam ne 2012 aur 2016 me London and Riyo Olympics ke liye Brazil ki team ko trained kiya tha, uske baad 2020 ke Games ke liye Korean team ke saath chale gaye.
Paris me sirf 2 swimmers wali country ke liye 2026 me Asian and Commonwealth Games par nazar rakhna jada prudent approach hoga.
“ I think for us, ‘A’ category qualification success ka first parameter hai. Halanki hame poori ummeed hai ki 2028 tak hamare kuch swimmers aisa kar payenge but iss programme ki success aur failure 2032 Olympics decide karegi. Agar hum 2032 Olympic Games me bhi ‘A’ qualification nahi produce kar sakte hain toh hum safely ye kahe sakte hain ki ye program succesful nahi raha hai,” IIS ke Founder Parth Jindal kahte hain.
Parth kahte hain, “ koi imagine bhi nahi kar sakta tha ki India Olympics me Javelin me gold medal jeetega. Jab humne ye program start kiya tha toh yahi dream tha. Aaj jab main yahan baithta hun toh log puchhte hain, ‘ kya India Olympics me swimming me medals jeet sakta hai?’ ye ansuna hai. Lekin aaj yahan baithkar sapna badal gaya hai, ambition badal gaya hai, aur hum ye jaante hain ki ye koi agar magar ki baat nahi hai, ye toh kab ki baat hai.”
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