Pune: The ‘storm’ that threatened India’s chances at the Nagaragawa regatta course blew over on Tuesday with the rowers shrugging off last-minute changes in entries and focussing on winning medals at the Asian Games competition.
Athlete’s Medal Aspirations for India
An athlete representing India expressed determination to secure a medal at the upcoming competition. ‘Ye Hindustan ki baat hai, Tirange ki baat hai. We have come here to achieve something big, and we will,’ they stated. The athlete emphasized the commitment to perform for the nation, declaring, ‘We won’t return home without a medal.’
“”We are going by what our manager has told us. We will be giving our best when we enter the water, but they shouldn’t have done this,” one of the rowers told The Times of India on condition of anonymity. The athlete said the most upsetting part was that the rowers were merely informed of the change in entries, there was no discussion. “Due to the shortened regatta programme, I as the chief coach has made the decision to focus on possible medals, not individual comfort of athletes,” Patterson told The Times of India in a text message on Monday. Balaji said all teams have been allowed to change their entries following the revision in schedule.
But a combination of inevitability and a good deal of cajoling from a senior member of the team management has persuaded the rowers to enter the boats. Yet, they were helpless. “We are under the Army. We compete as a team. If there is any indiscipline, we will never be able to row again.
The disgruntlement was so deep that a cloud of uncertainty hung over Tuesday’s practice session, a day before the start of match racing. Antony Patterson, India’s head coach from Australia, and the Rowing Federation of India president Balaji Maradapa had on Monday said that the shuffling of combination was necessitated by the curtailed rowing programme in Nagoya following heavy rains and the changes were made keeping in mind the best possible chance of winning medals. The Games competition, which was scheduled to have begun on Monday, will now be held Wednesday and Thursday.