New Delhi, Nov 22 (PTI) World record holder high jumper Javier Sotomayor on Saturday said that discipline and mindset, not facilities alone, decide the success of an athlete, and urged the Indian youngsters to do the same.
The Cuban legend said India is currently at the right stage to produce world class athletes, but added that the drive has to come from within.
The 1992 Olympic champion, whose 2.45m high jump record still stands, said there is no fixed formula to break records. He insisted that time is ripe for India to make a breakthrough in athletics.
“I frankly don’t have the answer to how someone can break the record, but if at all a record should be broken, it should be now,” Sotomayor said in an interaction with PTI Videos on the sidelines of Ekamra Sports Literature Festival here.
“All the conditions are ideal. There is technology now, there is support now. All you need is discipline. Once you have the discipline, you can have the result,” he said.
He highlighted discipline and mental strength as the two non-negotiables for any athlete seeking world-class consistency.
“It depends on the person, it changes from person to person. The first thing is the mentality and then all the support comes in. The structure, the training — all that comes in later,” Sotomayor said.
“It really depends on the athlete and how they want to excel.” The 58-year-old reminded that elite performance is built over years of commitment, and external motivation can only spark, not sustain, a career.
“Athletes are not made in a day, or with a few words of mine. It takes them years,” he said.
“I can just give them a slight push or good advice, but after that it is their own journey. A word of encouragement helps. There were people who encouraged me, so I can also do the same and try to give them a push and sort of inspire them.” Talking about the event, he said, “It is the first time I am participating in a literature sports festival, and it’s an honour to be invited here.
“I would like to share my experience as an athlete and what it continues to mean for us.” Palestinian runner Dwader hopes for safer days at home =================================== Palestinian middle-distance runner Mohammed Dwader is looking for a country where he can train consistently — possibly in Germany or anywhere he can get access to proper facilities. He said the situation back home makes high-performance training almost impossible.
“My goal is to find a country where I can receive training, either in Germany or another country. I also wish to find another training camp,” he said.
Despite the uncertainty, he cannot imagine giving up the sport.
“This is my life. Every day I think why I am doing that but then I can’t leave it because this is my way.” With no access to proper tracks for most of the year, his preparation is often makeshift.
“Back home, I run at the streets, some gym. This is difficult for us when we run in Olympics. I am used to tracks for like two or three months in a year. Before Olympics, I just had two weeks to train on tracks,” he said.
But Dwader said the story is much bigger than just sport. It is about people trying to live normal lives. He said his struggle as an athlete was inseparable from the struggle of his people, who continue to chase normalcy amid uncertainty.
He added that the future of Palestinian sport depends on a simple but powerful dream for his people to live safely, sleep peacefully and have the freedom to chase their ambitions.
“People in Palestine are amazing, they also have lives. I want to see they also dreaming well, sleeping well, keep safe and I think the moment will also come when we will train,” he said.
“We will soon see Palestinians not just in qualifiers but also in the finals and get medals and compete for Asian Games,” he concluded. PTI HN PDS PDS PDS
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