Mayookha promises plenty on her return
Understandably so, for after a prolonged period of pain and uncertainty, the young long jumper’s career was getting back on track again, with the promise of old still holding good.
The first leg of the Indian Grand Prix at Pune on Monday clearly sent out that message, with Mayookha leaping to a career-best 6.46 metres, that too in only her second competition on return from a serious injury.
“It feels really good to have set a new personal best,” said Mayookha after a training session at the Kanteerava, where she will be gunning for gold in the second leg of the Indian Grand Prix on Friday.
Tipped to be the successor to Anju George after a clutch of impressive performances, Mayookha was missing from action for almost one and a half years because of a right ankle injury suffered at the National inter-university meet at Kochi in December 2008. The injury was quite serious, with two ligaments suffering damage. “The problem was, it wasn’t diagnosed properly initially and we took a long time to find the right treatment. When I tried to return to the track, I realised that the pain was still there. Then we went for an MRI that revealed the extent of the damage.”
Recovery came through ayurvedic treatment even as concern loomed over her career. “I was a bit worried but I never thought of quitting, because injuries are common in sports and I have seen many senior athletes coming back from injuries,” she said.
The break also gave her a valuable lesson. “It taught me to focus on the fitness aspect more and the work required to keep every muscle well-tuned. Now I am more careful and don’t want a repeat of that injury,” she said of the period she spent away from the track.
Mayookha finally returned to competition at the Open Nationals at Kochi last month, winning the silver with a modest 6.13M leap. It was a tentative return. “I didn’t have any fear but I couldn’t get my runway right and a slight hamstring pain also made me a bit cautious,” she said.
In Pune, she got it right but the 22-year-old has a long way to go before she can aim for bigger laurels. “I need to work on my take-off and landing,” acknowledged Mayookha, who is switching to the hitch-kick method from the hang technique. “My target is to reach 6.70 by the Commonwealth Games.”
Mayookha is also a force to reckon with in triple jump, with a personal best of 13.56M. “We are not going to try it now, because chances of injuries are more,” said Mayookha’s coach Jose Mathew, who has carefully guided her back to the pit. “Perhaps we will try it at the inter-state meet later in the season.”
Right now, Mayookha’s focus is firmly on the Indian Grand Prix. “I want to do well here, as well as in Chennai,” she said before hurrying off to join friend, training partner and rival Reshmi Bose, who will challenge her here come Friday.