It was Amoj Jacob, the Asian Games gold medallist. After arriving exhausted through a long and tiring flight where he ran the anchor leg for the 4x400m team that sealed a spot for Paris, Amoj Jacob during the pre-meet conference for the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar, provided the perfect ice-breaking moment for the evening. Amoj clearly wanted to hit the hay as soon as possible. 

“To be honest, I don’t want to be here. I just want to go back to my room and sleep. I am waiting for this to end,” the 26-year-old Delhi boy joked, with a cheeky smile.

But he did have a point as the time difference between Nassau in the Bahamas and India was bound to bring in jet lag. Amoj on Sunday ran the all-important anchor leg of the Olympic Qualification heats at the World Relays to help the team clock 3:03.23s finish second behind the United States and book their Paris spot. Amoj along with his teammate Muhammed Ajmal will feature in the 400m event at the Federation Cup. 

From the women’s relay team, who also earned a Paris ticket this weekend, MR Poovamma, Jyothika Sri Dandi, and Subha Venkatesan feature on the 400m start list.

Even though drowsy due to jet lag, the relay members were in high spirits after Sunday’s triumph. Jyothika, and the rest of her teammates, credit the teams’ early arrival in the Bahamas for a training camp for the recent success. The Indians landed in the picturesque capital city of Nassau a month ahead of the World Relays to train and acclimate for the event.

“We trained at the practice track outside the main stadium where the event was held. So when the competition happened it almost felt like it was another practice session. Had we landed a few days before the event, it would have felt different,” says Jyothika who clocked what would have been a personal best of 51.36s in her leg.

The Athletics Federation booked an apartment building close to the stadium and made arrangements for pickup and drops. An agreement was struck with an Indian restaurant in Nassau that ensured the athletes never felt homesick for food.

The coaches also ensured the teams were weather-hardened by making them train in every condition possible. Running against the wind, under the sun, during breezy evenings, and even rain – the coaches didn’t leave any stone unturned.

“A few days before the final race it rained a lot but we made sure that we practised to prepare for all scenarios. What if it rained at the finals? We did not want to leave anything to chance,” explains Jyothika.

Simultaneously, the SAI center at Trivandrum deserves big credit for playing a crucial role in providing all infrastructural support for the athletes before they toured the Bahamas on an exposure trip.