Jump like Mayookha!

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"She saved the face of Indian athletics. I knew she would perform her best and that she is capable of making a difference. It was a much needed boost for our athletic tradition,” said veteran athlete Mercy Kuttan.

The Arjuna award winner was referring to Mayookha Johny’s gold winning leap in the Asian Athletic Championship in Kobe, Japan, that has come at a time when Indian athletics is reeling under the heat of the recent doping scandal.

Mercy, who was the first Indian long jumper to cross six metres, said she was delighted about Mayookha's triumph —”We are going through a phase when decades of proud athletic tradition has been criticised but, this gold has come as a relief,” said Mercy.

Though the hazel-eyed jumper from Kozhikode, Mayookha, failed to qualify for the London Olympics, her humble jump of 6.56 M, which is lower than her personal best of 6.64 M, was good enough to win her gold and regain the trust of millions in Indian athletics.

By winning gold in Kobe, she has also ensured herself a berth in the global meet at Daegu beginning in August.

"I know Mayookha quite well. She is a hardworking girl. I was sure she will do this for everyone of us. Equally good was Preeja's (Sreedharan) bronze (10,000 m),” said the 1981 Asian Championship long jump gold medalist.

Meanwhile, Mercy feels dejected about the doping controversy and said she felt sad for the athletes Sini Jose, Tiana Mary Thomas and others.

“I can understand what might be going through those athletes’ minds. It is painful when all the past performances mean nothing all of a sudden. Their coaches and the federation as well have to share the blame,” she said.

“Nowadays, anti-doping is so strict and even then if athletes get caught, do you think they might be doing it deliberately? Anyhow, all such incidents are harmful for athletics and once the pride is lost, it takes a while to make a comeback,” points out Mercy.

We can hope that Mayookha’s performance will also give a boost to other Malayali athletes in the championship such as middle distance runner Tintu Luka and hurdler Joseph Abraham.

Mean-while, along with criticising the fraternity when something foul happens, we should also learn to cheer them up in times of crises.