Bengaluru sprinter makes heads turn

By Mohammed Rumman Khan | NT

Bengaluru: Meet Bengaluru sprinter Priya H Mohan, who is being hailed as a potential Olympic medal winner. All of 19 years and she possesses skills that champions are made of. Add to that her die-hard grit and here is someone who is all set to make the country proud.

Priya, a first-year BCom student at the Jain University, told News Trail that her father, HA Mohan, a CBI judge, and homemaker mother Chandrakala, always wanted her to do well in her studies. Down the line, she “realised that she was born for bigger laurels”. “Athletics is in my blood and thankfully, my parents now fully support me to achieve big in this field,” she said, brimming with exuberance.

At the recently-concluded Khelo India University Games, the teenage sensation comfortably defeated India’s fastest runner Dutee Chand (24.02s), stopping the clock at 23.9s in the women’s 200m event. The odds were stacked heavily against the local girl as she had to run just 10 hours after winning gold at the 400m event. Dutee, in comparison, had got a good rest.

With postponement of the World University Games to be held in China in June, Priya’s coach Arjun Ajay is not crying foul but instead looking at the “opportunity to train harder”.

“Initially I didn’t see anything special in her, but the willingness to do anything and everything to improve was palpable. Be it intense training or following a tight schedule, running at noon or following a diet strictly, she did it all without much ado. That said a lot about what I had on hand,” said Arun, with pride in his voice.

“Priya is an extraordinary athlete and her readings on the biomechanics chart are way better than any other athlete who has visited this centre,” said Anthony Chacko, director of the state-run Centre for Sports Science (CSS). 

The Centre for Sports Science in Bengaluru conducts performance assessments to check strength, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and adaptation, according to Chacko. “Priya Mohan has been gifted with an incredible recovery rate. Everyone around her should ensure that she stays injury-free,” Chacko said.

India’s finest quarter-miler, who came fourth in the 400m event at last year’s Under-20 Worlds in Nairobi, where she also won the 4x400m mixed relay bronze, backed by the JSW Group, will compete in three Continental Tour meets for 400m glory this month—May 15 (France), May 22 (Italy) and May 28 (Spain).

Ajay feels Priya, whose personal best is clocking 52.58 sec in the 400m, has the potential to clock below 51 seconds this season. “The ultimate goal is to get an Olympic gold for India. Something PT Usha and Milkha Singh missed narrowly. Also, to run 400 m in sub-50 sec. From there on, sky’s the limit,” he added.

Priya trains for six hours a day and says the work is in progress “as I strongly believe I will be able to accomplish all set goals. I don’t remember when I last had junk food, for I judiciously follow my prescribed diet regimen”.

Athletics is regarded as the ‘mother of all sports’. The challenge, especially for field and track athletes, is bigger, but the teenager is up to it. She did not stop training even during lockdowns, for which she obtained special permission from the police and continued training in Vidyanagar.

Priya’s response to failure is not to quit or even slow down. “Failures are like challengers. They help me train harder and better,” she said while referring to the barring of India’s relay team at the Asian Games this year. Priya is not part of the national camp, which houses India’s elite athletes. She trains with the personal coach, who’s leaving no stone unturned to ensure she “excels”. “She was raw when I first saw her and didn’t know much about professional athletics. By running hopefully and listening to every piece of advice seriously, she has done herself a whole lot of good. All credit goes to her for wherever she is now,” the coach said.

Priya’s response to failure is not to quit or even slow down. “Failures are like challengers. They help me train harder and better,” she said while referring to the barring of India’s relay team at the Asian Games this year. Priya is not part of the national camp, which houses India’s elite athletes. She trains with the personal coach, who’s leaving no stone unturned to ensure she “excels”. “She was raw when I first saw her and didn’t know much about professional athletics. By running hopefully and listening to every piece of advice seriously, she has done herself a whole lot of good. All credit goes to her for wherever she is now,&