Mirabai Chanu walked on the ringside of the stadium and within the corridors of NEC after finishing her gold medal profitable carry on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, displaying her newly acquired yellow metallic from the Games. The Manipuri flashed an endearing smile the second she noticed me and cheekily stated, ”It is time for a pizza once more”.
Mira didn’t should go to the eating places lined up within the courtyard however followers had already arrived from distant corners with containers of pizza for the golden lady. The Manipuri lady spent larger half of the day speaking to them and clicking footage. What in regards to the pizzas? There have been many takers, however not Mira herself.
After her Olympic silver she had informed NDTV how a lot she craved for pizza. The coach does enable a slice of pizza now and again however not when the supply is unknown.
Vijay Sharma has toiled laborious for 7 years to wash the system off the menace of doping, as a result of he knew that was the one greatest factor that would flip the game round. And so he made his bunch of ladies and boys acutely aware eaters.
Mira and the lifters of coach Vijay’s group are weary of consuming meals from an unknown supply. But that doesn’t limit them from having a hearty meal with family and friends.
“I want to appeal to all budding athletes to be mindful of what they eat at home and not just in camps. In camps we can control. But when they go home, trouble begins and our hard work is set back,” says Sharma.
Mira talks about how the coach cooks for his wards to maintain them wholesome and dope free.
“Sir makes food for us. When we were in the US during Olympic training, he used to cook for us regularly and even now he does.”
The Dronacharya Award profitable coach can be essentially the most profitable from this version of the Commonwealth Games. 10 of his 15 lifters have received medals in Birmingham and he has created a bunch of star athletes.
“When I joined, there was lack of protein within the wrestlers’ eating regimen. The meals at Patiala mess is a lot better now. But there are nonetheless a couple of issues that fall quick.
“I had spoken to the then DG, Injeti Srinivas, to give us a separate room to cook for the weightlifters. He gave us a room in Patiala and we started cooking. The change started there. Our coaches and staff help me. We prepare the food because there are two concerns- right amount of protein in diet and to eradicate doping.”
The lifters have realised the only way to the podium is by remaining clean. A sport that once was notorious with the federation getting banned again and again has slowly but surely emerged as a star. In the absence of shooting, in this edition of the Games, Weightlifting so far is the most successful contingent.
And it is not just Mira, “Jeremy and Achinta have become disciplined seeing how Mira prepares,” says the coach. Mira’s work-ethic has a massive influence on the squad.
How did Vijay Sharma streamline the process?
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“In the beginning NADA and Federation had helped. But during Covid our Lab did not have accreditation from WADA. The samples had to be sent abroad for testing, it had become very expensive. The number of tests had gone down. The athletes are scared of NADA. Now NADA has got affiliated once again and is working closely with us. 6 dope tests were done on Indian weightlifters here and all have come clean.”
While counselling and testing are a part of the process, Vijay Sharma’s way of controlling is very unique. He’s perhaps the only high profile coach in India who cooks to keep doping away- a simple solution for a menace that once threatened to consume the sport of weightlifting.
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