Indias Heena Rezoana Mallick 16 breaks 400m Youth Asian Championship record betters her U-18 national record
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But the journey from heartbreak in Udipi to triumph in Tashkent was only possible due to some tweaks in her technique and putting the focus on efficiency rather than effort. Coach Arjun Ajay, who spotted Heena a couple of years ago through Instagram, has moulded her into the best junior quarter-miler in the country.
The
Bangalore
-based coach, known for his unconventional yet effective training methods, felt putting in more effort than required was Heenas undoing in the past. In the last 100m, she used to try to push real hard so her strides became longer. That was affecting her rhythm at the flag end of the race, explained Ajay.
Even though Heena was pushing beyond her strength at the business end, longer strides hampered her pace instead of boosting it.
Before the Asian championships, I worked on her stride lengths in the last 100m. We tried a couple of techniques but maintaining the stride length at the later stage of the race worked best for her and that is why she could clock such good timings, said Ajay.
Heenas 52.98s is the current world-leading time and fastest 400m race among Indians, across all age categories, this season. After her 400m victory, she returned to track in Tashkent to bag a silver in 200m and gold with the medley relay team.
I dont like losing even if it is a practice race. But this time after finishing second in 200m I did not cry. I think the happiness of breaking Salwas record a few days ago had not worn off by then. Also, there wasnt enough time to cry since the relay race was just 15 mins after my 200 final, the 16-year-old joked.
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Although Heenas competitiveness and drive to outdo her opponents is second to none, it is coach Ajay who channelises her raw aggression effectively. He believes in smart rather than hard training. During the preparatory camp last month, Heena was sparingly trained.
I believe training routine should be tailor-made for every athlete. A lot of Indian coaches make the mistake of following one training pattern for everyone. In Heenas case, I have never pushed her. During the camp, we did only one session of light training a day, and that too, in normal sports shoes. During the entire camp she must have worn the spikes just twice, said Ajay.
Ajay feels that Heenas smooth and upright running technique sets her apart from the other junior runners in the country. A lot of runners tend to go low when their feet hit the ground but she stays tall and that reduced the ground contact time and friction. She makes it look effortless and conserves a lot of energy due to her running style, explains Ajay.
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The five-foot-eight athlete doesnt like to delve much into the technical aspects and lets Ajay take care of it.
I just believed in myself and ran as best as I could, she puts it simply when asked to analyse her race. Although just 16, Heena is considered one of the top rising stars in the athletics circuit and gets a fair bit of media attention that she keeps away from but not by choice. By her own admission, she was an Instagram addict before joining coach Ajay. Her phone usage is rationed and there is a strict ban on social media.
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Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 11:40 am