Athlete Sushmita surprised over poor Asiad performance

Heptathlon athlete Sushmita Singha Roy Monday said she was surprised with her own poor performances in sub-disciplines of long jump and javelin throw at the Incheon Asian Games.

Sushmita finished outside the medal bracket at the Asiad, finishing fourth after managing 5,194 points, 718 behind goal medallist Ekaterina Voronina of Uzbekistan. Hepthathlon consists of seven sub-disciplines - 100 metre hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin throw and 800m.

"My performance was disappointing. I didn't expect it to be so low. I normally maintain a decent level of consistency in all the seven sub-disciplines but at Asiad my performance in long jump and javelin was strikingly poor," Sushmita told IANS on the sidelines of the 54th National Open Athletics Championships.

"It created a huge gap with my competitors and I couldn't overturn that gap. It was a one-off performance that unfortunately happened on the big day."

She said she is now looking forward to the 21st Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan June 3-7. "Now my entire focus is on my performances next year."

She felt the lack of a full-time coach, who would accompany her in all events and attend her throughout the year, affects her performance.

"Since my event consists of seven disciplines there are ups and downs. Lack of a proper coach is always a hindrance to focus on all the seven sub-disciplines. When we represent the country we are provided with a coach but that is not much of a help," the 30-year-old said.

"The national coach only remains with us for the duration of big events such as the Asian Games. Since the coach doesn't know my strengths and weaknesses it also becomes difficult for the coach to help me with necessary inputs and motivate me."

Sushmita had won a silver and bronze in the 2005 and 2007 Asian Championships in Incheon, South Korea, and Amman, Jordan, respectively but several injuries have cruelly blighted her career.

--Indo-Asia News Service

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