"I will talk to other youngsters about the new training pattern": Punjab’s teenager Alfaz Kaur Grewal after attending talent assessment camp

Alfaz Kaur Grewal, a teenager from Fazilka in Punjab who is attending a fortnight-long talent assessment camp in Patiala says it is a good platform to improve her knowledge on training and eating habits.

Alfaz has been discussing the importance of training and recovery over phone with her father-cum-coach Naginder Singh, a former national-level decathlete.

“I’ve learnt in the camp that moderate training is better than hard work in the formative years of practice,” Alfaz explains. “When I go back home after this camp, I will talk to other youngsters about the new training pattern I’ve learnt.”

The 10th-class student made her national-level debut at the National Inter District Junior Athletics Meet held in February in Patna. She finished third in her age group. Alfaz says she took up sports in school as her parents and other family members used to be athletes.

Alfaz was among 115 athletes, including 47 girls, scouted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) talent identification panel for the camp in Patiala. The AFI panel selected 922 athletes in six venues across India. The camp, in coordination with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and funded by REC Limited, started on June 21 and ends on July 5.

“The talent assessment camp has been really useful for a teenager like me,” Alfaz reveals.

Alfaz’s father has been guiding her, and the teenager is working hard to achieve her dreams.

“My father believes the harder you train the better,” she says about the pattern she was following at home.

“I’ve noted down all the details and will discuss it with my father,” she adds.

Besides the new training pattern, the promising athletes at the camp were also told about the importance of a balanced diet. She plans to follow a more strict and specific diet plan now onwards.

“After attending the talent assessment camp, I’ve become more conscious about what to eat,” the young athlete explains. “Now I’ve come to know about a balanced diet. How much protein and carbs are needed for a young athlete like me.”

Being a farmer’s daughter, Alfaz says her diet mainly consists of milk and dairy products.

“I’ve to cut down on milk and ghee as I’ve been told by a dietitian in the camp that I’m eating more than what is needed,” the 15-year-old adds.

According to Chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair, educating young athletes during the camp was a key agenda.

“It was mandatory for all the athletes to attend the classes in the afternoon,” Nair says. “The emphasis in the camp was on general fitness. The youngsters were also apprised of harmful side effects of overtraining and early specialisation.”

Out of the 922 athletes shortlisted for the talent assessment camp, 70 per cent reported for the camp. That is good response, the chief coach says.

At the end of the camp, athletes will be evaluated by experts, says Nair, for the next phase of the training programme.

“Athletes having aptitude for sports would be shortlisted and their names will be proposed to Sports Authority of India for inclusion in NCOE (National Centre of Excellence) and SAI training centers,” the chief athletics coach adds.

The athletes attending the camp also got an opportunity to meet and interact with former international athletes, including Om Prakash Singh Karhana, Krishna Punia (discus throw) and former chief athletics coach and Asian Games champion Bahadur Singh.