Bajrang Punia and Jitender had moved to Vijaynagar, Karnataka to begin their preparations for the Tokyo Olympics. Good weather, better facilities and more coaches have helped them amp up their training for the quadrennial event. The duo has been subjected to many new types of exercises and one of them is boxing. Jitender had recently shared a video on Instagram of him throwing some punches on the punching mitts. “It was great to practice with the coach @tagboxer2 this morning,” he wrote.
Jitender is yet to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, and boxing lessons can be a great way to work on the movement which plays a crucial role in wrestling. Besides, boxing, both the wrestler would go on long runs in the hilly areas of the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) every morning. “The weather conditions are really good here. Moreover, since it is a hilly area it is good for long runs and sprints. It is helping us push past our limits,” the 74kg weight category Asian Championship silver medallist said.
They are currently training under Cuba’s 2004 Olympic champion Yandro Quintana with Shako Bentinidis providing them with the training sessions. Two coaches, Jitender says, is a benefit as it helps in learning different styles.
“It is not tough to learn from the Cuban coach as at the end of the day wrestling has just one language. I am here to train and achieve our goals and both Shako and Yandro are helping me in it. Shako tells me about our shortcomings and Yandro helps us overcome them. I believe having two coaches is a benefit for me,” he said.
Shako returns to India
Their coach Shako is currently in quarantine in New Delhi and is expected to join them by mid-August. The Georgian returned to India last week via a special flight. “The flight was meant for Indians stranded in Georgia. However, we (Temo and Shako) spoke to the Indian Embassy and explained to them the need to fly us out. Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) coordinated with Air India,” he said.
After joining his monkey team, Shako revealed how he plans to change the characteristics of the training schedule. “When we resume training we will change the characteristics of the training and will prepare for each opponent individually,” he said adding that their goal is to win India its first Olympic gold medal. “We do not have to keep in top shape for a whole year but we need to be fit and hit the peak by the time Olympics arrive. This is the most important thing for us”.