Athletics 1970 asian games

You can't compare it to anything. My own father was happy but he didn't show it. Parents were a lot more stingy with their appreciation back then! After the Asian Games, I was expected to prepare for the Olympics. I first realized the gulf between us and the world when I travelled to Munich for a programme for Asian athletes. The [Indian athletics] federation was upset because they wanted me to take part in the national- and state-level competitions.

That was like preparing for an MA by writing school exams. Later I found out they hadn't even entered my name for the Olympics. They were simply looking for a way to pull me down. I was finally included at the last minute but I was psychologically very disturbed and I did poorly. That was just how athletes were treated back then.

After that I didn't want to train. Ajmer Singh tried to motivate me but it was just too much of a struggle. There was no follow-up from the government. Just like that, my talent and career was finished. I only returned to the sport when I got an offer to coach at the NIS in I wasn't really doing anything, so I took it up. That's when I really started to study about the sport and learned about mechanics and technique and training.

The turning point for women's sport came because of the Asian Games. We had decided to host the games in but there was no real preparation for it. Then suddenly someone must have realized that now that holding the games, we might as well win something. I recall a minister had come to the NIS and asked, "How can we win medals?

And I said, "Concentrate on the women. These had to be long camps, not the few weeks we had in And so that happened for the first time. Just a year later in , one of our athletes, Rita Sen, broke the Asian record with a time of She could have done even better but she caught dengue just before the games.

In Delhi, we won one gold, six silvers and a bronze. But that was just the start. We have done better than the men at nearly every Asian Games after that. I'm 70 years old now but when girls like Saina Nehwal and Dipa Karmakar do well at the Olympics, I personally feel connected with them. Log in. Sports Asian Games Modified 17 Sep Anju Bobby George. Also Read Article Continues below. Asian Games An analysis of India's overall performance. Asian Games India's probable medal contenders.

Edited by Staff Editor. Sort by: Most popular Recent Most upvotes. Login to post your comment. Show More Comments. Login to reply. No thanks Delete. Cancel Update. Cancel Reply. Quick Links: Asian Games Be the first one to comment on this post. Critics called it India's taste for modern consumerism, a hand-maiden of the commercial film industry. But for the Indian consumer, it was much more than that. It was an opportunity to see the world in all colour. The gold winners for India at the Asiad included Charles Borromeo, who won the m race with a timing of seconds.

MD Valsamma, from Kerala, became the second Indian woman to win an individual gold medal, winning the metres hurdles race with a timing of PT Usha, from Kerala, first gained international attention at the Games as she won the silver medal in both the metres and metres events.

She received Padma Shri award in Connect to us. Your comment on this post: Email me at this address if a comment is added after mine: Email me if a comment is added after mine Privacy: Your email address will only be used for sending these notifications. To avoid this verification in future, please log in or register.