Badminton player Ashwini Ponnappa

With the London 2012 Olympic Games now just 10 days away, there’s no doubt that athletes are in the final phase of their extensive and arduous training programmes. While Olympic competitors are the pinnacles of athletic perfection, there are several “secrets” of Olympic training that can boost any fitness programme, no matter the level.

Archer Tarundeep Rai, who is making a comeback after a career-threatening shoulder injury in 2007, which forced him to lie low for the best part of two years, says, “I have been training hard to make a comeback in this year’s Olympics. We archers start our day at 6 am and we do running and archery practice till 7.30 am. After that we have a heavy breakfast, which includes fruits, and we practice again from 8.30 am to 12 noon. After lunch at 1 pm and after taking some rest we have a three hour training and physical exercise session from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm. Then we have some light snacks and after a two-hour rest we practice for one hour from 9 pm to 10 pm.”
Sports is not just a game of physical fitness, it requires mental strength too to cope with the sheer pressure of performing on the field. So it has been seen that many athletes, like the ones of the Indian hockey team which is making a comeback in the London Olympics after eight years, have started practicing yoga and mental visualisation sessions to enhance their mental strength.
“There is pressure to perform in this year’s Olympics as we are playing after eight years. We practise yoga daily for 40 minutes to enhance our mental strength,” Indian hockey team captain Bharat Chetri was quoted as saying.
Moreover, games like badminton require a combination of strength, speed, flexibility and endurance as the sport is a whole body exercise. Indian’s top shuttler Saina Nehwal’s weekly routine includes two to four sessions of strength training, three to six sessions of endurance and six to eight sessions of agility and moderate running. She does dumbbell pullovers, rowing exercises, military press for her shoulders, heel raises for calf muscles and lat pull downs, amongst others.
Badminton ace Ashwini Ponnappa, who will be pairing with Jwala Gutta in the women’s doubles at the London Olympics says, “I start my day at 7.30 in the morning with some physical exercise and running followed by badminton practice till 10 am. I again do some physical exercise in the evening from 4.30, which is followed by badminton practice till 6.30 pm.”
Indian shuttler, V. Diju, who is ranked 13th in the world in mixed doubles said, “It is a matter of great pride to play in the Olympics. We have been practicing day in and day out and are now prepared for the biggest challenge. I do simple physical exercise in the morning and evening followed by badminton practice. I don’t do yoga or meditation.”
With most Indian athletes reaching London, we hope that this contingent of 81 athletes, the highest ever from India, will bring back a lot of medals and accolades for India. As Union sports minister Ajay Maken said, “Our number of Olympic medals should also increase in the same way as our GDP is increasing,” we wish the Indian Olympic team in London all the very best!