Punjab javelin thrower Arshdeep makes most of first AFI camp abroad

Indervir Grewal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 28

In his teens, Arshdeep Singh showed great promise. The javelin thrower from Bhagu village in Fazilka won three consecutive gold medals in the School National Games, breaking the record twice. He won medals in the junior National Championships and junior Federation Cup organised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). A bronze medal in the World School Games in 2016 filled him with belief. From 2015 to 2018, his distance jumped by over five metres. He broke the javelin throw meet record at the junior SAF Athletics Championships in May 2018 with a throw of 71.47 metres and was confident of a good show at the junior World Championships two months later.

That's when an ankle injury put the brakes on his progress. What was a niggling pain at the World Championships turned into an injury from which it took Arshdeep almost a year to recover. "He is not the most gifted athlete, but he has determination," said Bikramjit Singh, Arshdeep's longtime coach at the Punjab Institute of Sports' Jalandhar centre.

Last year, Arshdeep found his rhythm back again, winning medals at two AFI Indian Grand Prix events and touching 74.05m. Come October, his confidence was back and he won the gold at the AFI National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi with his personal best of 77.37m. As AFI’s call for the senior national camp came, he felt he was back.

In good company

It was no ordinary camp either. Arshdeep got to experience his first camp abroad, in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and it was also the first time he got to train under German great Uwe Hohn, the national javelin throw coach. "It was a great experience. I got to train with India's best," said Arshdeep, who turned 21 earlier this month. "Everything was new to me — from the attention to the diet to the level of training."

The camp included India's current top-2 javelin throwers — Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh, both of whom have qualified for the Olympics.

"Shivpal and I trained together. Neeraj trained alone, but I got to have discussions with him afterwards," Arshdeep said. "Just being there with the best, watching them train was inspiring and confidence-boosting," he added.

With other nations also camping there, Arshdeep said he used to watch the international athletes train. "I tried to learn by watching some of the top international throwers train. I also met one of my idols, world record holder Jan Zelezny, who had accompanied the Czech Republic team," said Arshdeep.

Greater strength

Apart from being a mentally uplifting experience, the camp helped Arshdeep make significant physical improvements. "I feel fitter and there is a big improvement in my strength level. I also realised how important working on my flexibility is," said Arshdeep.

The camp lasted over two months and was to be followed by two competitions, which were cancelled due to the coronavirus. "I competed in one practice competition during the camp and finished third, but we were looking forward to the actual competitions," he said.

Arshdeep said he had been eager to test himself in the AFI competitions back home before everything was either postponed or cancelled. "We have been staying at NIS Patiala since flying back. I couldn't even visit home due to the lockdown," he said.

'Needs support'

Arshdeep, who has been confined to training in his room, said his next target after things returned to normal was to cross the 80-metre mark. Coach Bikramjit is confident Arshdeep could cross 82m by the end of the year but said he needed financial help. "This is a crucial phase for him, and any improvement will be difficult," said Bikramjit. "He will need financial backing. The expenditure on equipment and supplements will only increase," he said.

Bikramjit said Arshdeep had been getting help from his agriculturist family but there was a need for a proper sponsor. Arshdeep is in his third year of Bachelor of Physical Education and Sports at Sant Baba Bhag Singh University in Jalandhar, and Bikramjit said that getting a job would make life easier for the youngster.