Amidst fear, Muhammed Anas gears up for World Relays

KOCHI: Muhammed Anas Yahiya has the same fear the rest of India has with respect to Covid-19. 
“Till now, I’m safe and haven’t been affected by the virus. But when you look around, the situation is so concerning and scary. Living in such uncertainty is challenging but we have to do what we can to deal with the situation,” said Anas who has been based at the SAI centre in Patiala since the nationwide lockdown last year.

The 400m national-record holder recently got his visa to travel to Poland to compete in the World Relays in Silesia. He is part of the Indian contingent that is expected to take part in the competition. They are among the few athletes who will get to experience international competitions after almost a year. But with India reporting record number of fresh Covid-19 cases everyday, and many countries imposing travel bans on travellers from India, there are some fears.

Even the Indian Olympic Association president Narinder Batra had recently cautioned the National Sports Federations to be cautious when it comes to foreign competitions and exposure tours for the athletes.  

“We were supposed to have an exposure tour in Turkey but now we hear that there is a lockdown there. As far as the World Relays are concerned, it is an important competition that will give us a lot of experience ahead of the Olympics. So far, there’s been no travel advisory provided to us and we are waiting for instructions and guidance from the Federation and the officials. We hope they will make the necessary arrangements. Yes, there is the fear surrounding Covid, but if done right, we can participate in it safely. It’s a difficult situation but we have to hope for the best,” he said.

The Olympic bound athletes from India are expected to be among the first to start getting Covid vaccines when it is expected to be made accessible to everyone above the age of 18 beginning next month. “So far, thanks to regular testing and taking all necessary precautions, I’ve managed to train and look after myself. I’m injury free and in good physical condition and the idea now is to focus only on things that I can control. Rest, we’ll have to see how things go,” said Anas.