National athletics coach Nikolai Snesarev had to sweep the drenched track at the SAI Complex here in the wee hours before his ward and India's ace long distance runner O P Jaisha set up the meet record on the opening day of National Open Athletics Championships today.
Fresh from a strong show in marathon race in the World Championships in Beijing a fortnight ago, Jaisha was aiming to earn a Rio Olympics berth in 5000m event but the conditions meant she could clock 15:31.73 seconds en route a new meet record in the first event of the opening day.
Her event was scheduled to start at 6am but due to overnight rains, it began after an 28-minute delay and Jaisha took it easy as it was enough to better Preeja Sreedharan's eight-year old meet record of 15:45.96.
"Even at this age, he (Nicolai) swept the entire track and made it ready for me. There was no one here when we arrived at 4am and he tried his best to prepare the track. Whatever I'm is because of him," Jaisha told PTI, giving full credit to the 67-year-old national coach from Belarus.
Jaisha was targetting the Rio entry standard of 15:20.00 but eventually she had to give up with no competition.
"Nobody was pacing me up. I was running alone the whole race, so I could not bring out the best," she said.
"I'm satisfied with my performance given the conditions. I returned to track after a long time as this was my 5000m event after the National Games earlier this year. I've been training for only marathon now," the 33-year-old who had bagged 5000m and 10000m gold in Kerala National Games added.
Jaisha said her focus now is to qualify for Rio Olympics in the track events.
"My favourite is 1500m but I'm focussed on 5000m and 10000m now. There's no more championship left in Indian athletics calendar. Hopefully I get to participate in foreign competitions to get the mark."
But it was an emotional win on 'home turf' for Jaisha, an Eastern Railway employee posted at Vidannagar.
"All my colleagues love me a lot even as I hardly get to go to office, busy with national camp. I returned here after four years when the meet was last held here. But still I'm yet to visit my office in Vidannagar. You know how hard taskmaster my coach is."
Jaisha has been in the form of her life in the past 12 months, winning the bronze in the 1500m event at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea and then finishing 18th in the marathon event at the recently-concluded World Championships in Beijing.
