Udhagamandalam: The first-batch of eight athletes has started practising at the high-altitude sports training centre in Ooty for the upcoming Olympics. The centre, which sports synthetic track, was inaugurated in May.
All the athletes are from the Army Institute of Sports in Pune and they will train at the facility till March 2021. Among them are Uttarakhand-based Nithenra Rawat, an Olympian in 42km marathon and participant of world championship; Tamil Nadu-based G Lakshman, a medalist in Asian Games and participant of world championship; and Uttarakhand-based Mansingh, a gold medalist in Asian games. The remaining five too have participated in world championships.
The open stadium is the second of its kind in the country. The other one is the Netaji Subhash high-altitude training centre at Shilaroo near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh.
The ground, spread across 5.75 acres, is located close to the government botanical garden. Besides the 400m-long four tracks, it also houses a football ground.
S Jayachandran, Nilgiri district sports officer, says, “After the chief minister inaugurated the training centre virtually on May 28, this is the first set of athletes getting training here for long and steeplechase categories. The work on accommodation facility at the centre is not yet completed.”
Presently, the trainees are accommodated in a private property in the town.
According to Jayachandran, the training centre, which is located at a height of 2,240 metres, is ideal for athletes preparing for the Olympics.
B Vikram, one of the trainees, says, “This is the best training centre for athletes who look for vigorous training for long and steeplechase categories. The climate is so equitable in this season for training here.”
Mohamed Yunus Khan, coach, Army Institute of Sports, Pune, says, “It is a boon for the trainees to be here for practise. It is one of the best and the highest altitude training centres in Asia. Training here will certainly help them achieve their goal.”