From bent knees to breaking national record: Vishal TK pushes the bar at Inter-State Athletics

Since Vishal was in sixth standard, the Jawaharlal Stadium has been his home. Enrolled at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu sports hostel, this venue has seen his highs and lows. “In my mind, I was chasing personal best. If it meant national record or World Championship qualification mark, it was alright for me,” Vishal said shortly after the medal ceremony.

Jason and Vishal started working together since last November. (Express Photo by Venkata Krishna B)

To put things in perspective, just a year ago Vishal was competing in 100m and 200m before Seenivasan Ramaiah, who coaches at NCOE Thiruvananthapuram, made him switch to 400m. Months later, he was training under Jason, who already had a reputation for being a hard task master. What has since followed is a stunning upswing in not just results, but also in timing. In less than 12 months, Vishal has reduced his timing by a second, no mean achievement.

“It wasn’t easy to reduce one second inside 12 months. As Indians we have to believe it is not impossible. We shouldn’t think only in terms of Indian standard. We have to think to international standards and since I went and participated in overseas tournaments, I got good exposure. In India, we try to control the race. For example, we think if we push from the start, we would get tired soon. But I didn’t do it. I started and I just ran my race. If you look at European athletes, they don’t slow down or anything. Since I participated in 3-4 such events, I wanted to use that experience here,” Vishal said.

Jason and he started working together since last November. “Jason is a hard task-master. There was pain, there were sufferings, but you need it to succeed. In my first meet I came last (eighth) in my off-season. From there on, nobody has defeated me, I’ve been first, first, first. I completely trusted him. Indian coaches’ workload is relatively easy. But Jason doesn’t alter depending on your fitness. He believes only in results,” Vishal said.

“Vishal, he is a new athlete. Vishal brings to the table, something I have asked from the older athletes — honesty, dedication,” Jason says in his heavy Jamaican accent. “If you have that, then the possibility of you going worldwide and achieving is likely. But you can’t come and try to trick the coach and the program. Vishal is a special young man. He listens, and he learns quickly. He’s not afraid to work. And that is why you saw the result today that we saw,” Jason adds.

Though Vishal has had a sensational few months, where he has improved on his timing at almost every meet he features, Jason says technically he still has lot to learn. “Technically, he’s still learning. Visually, he’s just learning. It’s like a new student, who doesn’t even know how to do drills. The good thing is he’s eager to learn, he’s not afraid to work. The work is hard, but the thing is, he challenges me. And that is what I ask,” he says.

Jason says Vishal still has a long way to go in terms of maintaining consistency and improving the timing. “If you notice, he doesn’t even run like a 400-meter runner. He doesn’t know how to use his arms properly. Now he’s learning to use his hip flexor. Learning to use his arm. And he has to keep his shoulder in a square line when he’s running. You know, honestly, Vishal doesn’t even know how to use the blocks. I’ve made a promise that I would make him better and that’s what I’m doing,” Jason says.