BENGALURU: Lack of proper training facilities for Bengaluru athletes at present has forced them to look at alternatives. The relaying of the synthetic track at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium is on hold because of the pandemic, so it’s unavailable. The SAI campus can only be used by elite athletes due to the pandemic.

Some athletes have opted for areas like Cubbon Park, which is open for only two hours each in the morning and evening.

17-year old Priya H Mohan started training near Queen Victoria Statue in the park late last month, under the watch of her coach Arjun Ajay. She is primarily working on her fitness. Despite the 200m track available adjacent the stadium, Priya has not trained there as Arjun feels training in that track is difficult.

The Mount Carmel College student, after clocking 54.31 in 400m at the South Asian Games, has more or less qualified for the U-20 World Championships in Kenya, which was pushed to 2021. The qualification timing for the event was 54.85, but she has to do well in the Junior Fed Cup next year too. If other competitors also manage to cross the qualification mark, things could get tricky. 

All plans are in place to help the athlete improve her performance. She will travel to Ooty for high altitude training next month, which means she will get access to a proper track too. She will train at the Madras Regiment Centre in Wellington.

“Let me be clear here, we are not going to Ooty because no track is available to train here in the city. Once we do a lot of endurance work at high altitude, her lung capacity will increase and it will help improve upon her performance,” he explained.

If all things go according to plan, her first real test will be the junior inter-state championships in November. She has not participated in any competitive race in 2020 and is eager to compete to know where she stands.

“Everything is uncertain. I hope it (race) does start, as it will be my first race after a long time. More importantly, it will help me understand about my form, my fitness, timings and what areas I need to improve further as I move ahead and feature in other competitions,” said Priya.