Long distance running medal winners Preeja Sreedharan, Kavita Raut run as a team even as they compete between themselves.
Till now we had heard fast bowlers hunt in pairs. Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut are applying the same formula in women’s long distance running. India’s track queens have taken the Asian Games by storm with stunning runs in both the 10,000 and 5,000m. Preeja and Kavita made it one-two in the 10,000m while in the 5,000m they were second and third.
As much as a test of endurance, long distance is a very tactical race and if you train in the same stable, the advantages are many. The Africans are past masters of how to run as a team. The pacesetter would tire out the field before the chief runner would make the charge.
Having trained together for almost five years under coach Nikolai S, the same chemistry is visible in Preeja and Kavita as the two run neck-to-neck in international meets.
One plus is that given their shy nature, it helps calm the nerves in the big races, said Kavita, the junior of the two. “We train together and share a good rapport. We never had any misunderstanding,” said Preeja.
“Didi is very supportive. We look up to her and she is always motivating me,” added Kavita.
Though Kavita was pipped both times by her senior partner, there is no hint of any rivalry. The two girls enjoy each other’s success. “We are working with the same coach. The main thing is the medal has to remain in our group, it doesn’t matter who wins. It shouldn’t go to another group,” said Kavita.
The main advantage of having two top level athletes train together is that everyday you are competing with the best and automatically it lifts each other’s performance. “You get a lot of motivation from each other, even when you are fatigued, you train hard when you see that the other person is training hard,” said Kavita.
“We share the workload during training as well. Like during practice runs, for one lap Kavita will lead and the next round I will lead. Sometimes if you are down, the other person will lead throughout. We enjoy training with each other,” said Preeja.
Even though theirs is a healthy rivalry, the motivation to outdo each other is also fierce. Kavita admitted she has some work to do before catching up with Preeja, who is her senior.
Staying together for long periods of time in training camps, the two share each other’s joys and disappointments. The special occasions are celebrated together.
“On her last birthday, April 13th, I gifted Didi a teddy bear. And on my birthday, Didi had given me a red top.”
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