Mental training camp concludes for Indian archers

A mental training camp organised for Indian archers by the sports ministry concluded at the Jawaharlal Nehra Stadium here on Wednesday.

This is the first of its kind camp organised with the help of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) under the guidance of a trainer from the renowned Johnson and Johnson Human Performance Institute in Florida. The camp by Lorenzo Beltrame provided mental training to 16 archers keeping in view the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

"Many a time in the past it was observed that Indian athletes get past the qualifying rounds but buckle under pressure at the time of advanced stages of competitions at international level," said a ministry release.

"One of the main issues to be addressed in this regard is to improve mental toughness of the athletes. The camp was a step forward in that direction."

The training was from April 20 to 24 and comprised sessions for teams as well as individuals. It was followed by three days training of four coaches and six sports psychologists from April 27 to 29 so that they could continue with the training of the athletes.

Beltrame will also conduct an online session from the United States as a follow up.

"A detailed report has been sought from Shri Lorenzo Beltrame on the training so that a focused short term approach can be taken for each elite athlete for 2016 Olympics and a road map for long term approach may be prepared for emerging athletes for 2020 Olympics," added the release.

The camp was sponsored by the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with an estimated cost of Rs.22.5 lakh.

Names of participating athletes, coaches and psychologists:

Athletes: Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das, Jayanta Talukdar, Mangla Singh Champia, Deepika Kumari, L. Bombayla Devi, Rimil Buruily, Laxmi Rani Majhi, Dola Banerjee, Sanjay Boro, Atul Verma, Ranjit Naik, Madh Vewdan, Ishita, Himani Boro, Priyanka Tharan.

Coaches: Ravishankar, Ram Avdesh, Somesh Chander Roy, Ashim Kundu.

Sports psychologists: Reena Kaul, Anuradha Solanky, Mithlesh Kumar Tiwari, Gunnjan Maithil, Priyanka, Bhawna Chauhan.