Surging ahead: Siya Sawant’s sprint to success

Siya:

I'm doing great, and thank you so much for having me here.

Siya:

There was not really a Siya before all this started because my journey started when I was just five years old. So it's been a long journey, more than a decade.

I think I was always a very hyperactive and playful child, and my Mama was just like, this has to go somewhere. All this energy needs to be vented out somewhere. And that's how she enrolled me in an athletics summer camp when I was five years old.

I took part in the first race of my life, which was in the under-six category. It was a state meet. I ran three events. It was 30 meters back then, so like 30 meters, 50 meters, and a 4x50 relay. And I won three medals there.

So that was the start of my journey. And I think, it's just been going upwards since then.

Siya:

It's gotta be the team effort.

So it's my hard work and my dedication towards my sport, and it's my passion. I love sprinting. As I said, I started early, and I've always loved it since the first time I think I wore a medal around my neck. I love the feeling of it and I've always wanted to do it.

The other thing would be my parents. I think it's their unwavering support that I've got. They wake up at 4:00 - 4:30 in the morning. Mama, I think, (wakes up) at 3:45 and she has to pack all my tiffins and then dad takes me for training on the track, then goes back. And then he has to travel to his office. So he covers almost like more than 200 kilometers every single day.

So it's not just like a single person's effort behind all this, but it's like a combined team effort from myself, my parents, my coaches.

So I don't remember myself taking a single day off from track. And it's not just me, it's my

coach too. So let's say there's just, just pouring very heavily, like Mumbai rains and we're running on the beach. And then I'd be the only one who showed up on the track. But then if

you look around, there'd be Ravi Sir standing there, Ravi Sir is my coach. So there were days where it's only been two of us

It's constant support from everyone that's got me here.

Siya:

I mean, it is improving a lot right now. We have a lot better facilities now in our country. But there are lots of challenges.

It's not just about constructing something, it's also about the execution later and also the maintenance part; no one really looks at that.

So the tracks have all been in bad condition — not just in my state, but everywhere else. The track back at home? I think it hardly has three layers of synthetic on it.

But then, it shouldn't be like that; there has to be much more. The track becomes hard, then there are more injury risks and everything. So that becomes the infrastructure part. I think we're still lacking there.

Although, there are a few states that do construct completely new stadiums and everything for like to conduct nationals. I think Odisha does that really well. So right before a competition, they just construct the whole stadium again and make it brand new — not just the tracks, but also the rehab centres or the recovery centres, the SNC (Sports Nutrition Center) rooms, and the qualitative analysis.

As for the strengths, I think the strength I would look at is that in the future, I think India's improving a lot that we're getting in foreign coaches to get their knowledge, their expertise, athletes are getting better.

It goes both ways. So, yeah.

Siya:

Yeah, I think, maybe, the link between the athletes and the coaches, I feel is a good link between the athletes and the management ahead. Because the coaches are involved in the managers' meetings with the states, or be it the Athletics Federation of India. Coaches

could be a link, like they could convey our messages.

Also if they could take surveys or interviews right after nationals to get an idea of what the athletes feel. At Khelo India, they asked how our experience was, etc. I think that should increase.

Siya:

There's not like a different way to prepare for any competition. I see all competitions as the same preparation-wise because you wouldn't want to go even for a school level being unfit and not prepared, right? Everything needs to be on point.

I think the only difference when it comes to National and International (competitions) is external pressure.

Let's say internationals, I'm running for the first time. So you've got a great opportunity to prove yourself, but there's so much more. There's the burden of your entire nation, let's say — or if it's

Nationals, there’s the burden of your entire state. Standing there are your parents, and your coaches, everyone standing in the audience and everything.

So that becomes like an external pressure because you start thinking a lot, I think beyond the race, which shouldn't be the case, — but that's actually, it's clearly normal because at that stage you would also think about what's happening around.

But the preparation and everything else remains absolutely the same.

Siya:

Well, what Welspun is doing is literally giving me external support and assistance, which is absolutely required.

I feel that sports — not just my sport, but like all sports — is an expensive business. There are training fees, flying for competitions (there are so many competitions), there are camps, and the nutrition part. There are so many supplements, and even a nutritionist visit is gonna be expensive; physios, SNC and so on.

So, someone from a non-sports background would think, oh, it's just going on the track, running,

competing in an event or two. But it's not like that. It's a lot more expensive.

And for, I think for athletes to manage that over the years, it becomes really difficult. Right now, I've been doing it for more than a decade, and it becomes difficult; becomes a burden on everyone.

In such a state where this is all extremely necessary. If you want to see progress, if you don't want athletes to pull out of their sport, you need assistance and you need support.

So I think what Welspun is doing for me and other elite women athletes, is providing external support, like a backbone. Like you do whatever you want to do and we're there to support you. I think, that is extremely important.

Siya:

It would be them funding me for my international camps, etc.

It's not really like an easy job, like, “Oh yeah, I'm just going to a camp right now and

I'm ready; I'm all set to go.” There's so much more to it, right?

So I think, Welspun in that aspect was really like, “You can go for it and we're there for you.”

Siya:

Yeah. I feel for young athletes, their life revolves around what the coach says. Because they're too young, they're still immature minds. The coach will tell them, “Do this, do that,” and they do that without even thinking about it. So I feel the coaches have played a really important role in shaping an athlete's life. An athlete would listen to their coach many more times as compared to their parents. They're more, I think, attracted towards that part.

So I feel, you know, it's very important for coaches to know what they're doing. Like, for young athletes, they shouldn't burden them with overtraining, or their recoveries need to be planned

well, so they're resting well. So, if a coach has a good athlete, they shouldn't push the athlete to the limits till they're fatigued and they can't perform in the years like they should be able to.

So I think, as you said, for a young athlete to actually nurture and bloom into an elite athlete, I feel it's more of a coach's responsibility.

And then obviously parents support is extreme. Let's say their parents say, “No, I wouldn't take you for training.” The kid is still young, and wouldn't do anything. Then the kid would just stop

doing it.

Siya:

One of my best friends, Vanshika, she's like a sister to me now, So the thing with my friends is that they know that I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with them.

So, it's really important to have friends who would really understand you.

The other thing is all my school classmates and everyone; they've all been really supportive. Having a good friend circle, having a good support system is incredibly important.

Siya:

Yeah, so before that, I think going for the Khelo India Youth Games, right before that, like a week ago, uh, we had, school games, the SGFI nationals and I won two gold medals there; a gold in the 100 m and 200 m hundred. I was running with the same people, so I was confident.

I went in for the Khelo India Youth Games much more confident because I knew I had just done it and I had to repeat it. Now, even that is a big task, but while training for Khelo India, I was like, “I just have to maintain what I did and just execute it there,” the execution was the key part for Khelo.

So my heats went really well; I had come first in the heats with a good time. It was like a 12’05” and I was pretty confident.

The same day we had finals and I was actually aiming for an under-12 right then at at that same competition, but I think there was a lot of wind. I don't know what it was. Maybe the body cooled down because it was the evening time. I'm not really used to running in the evenings, so that's probably why it just cut down to 0.05. But that happens in sprinting. You, you never know. It's just a game of milliseconds.

Before going for the finals, I was confident, not gonna lie. I was confident of winning it

and I wanted to win it. I wanted a gold in the hundred because that gives you

the title of being the fastest sprinter. So I was like, “I want to do this and I want to get this right.”

And right from the start, I think from when the gunshot, I got a good start and that just pulled off

and I was, I was like, “I have to push it till the very end.” And even while running, it's like, “Oh, I'm in front now. I just have to maintain without doing anything.” So like, “Just run, just run.”

And after finishing I was like, “Damn, it was so sudden, it got over?” It was that easy.

Siya:

I think that'll be at home when I'm with my family. [00:18:00] Not just my parents, but like with my uncles and aunts, and I'm just the way I am.

Also, on the track — but you’ll see a different Siya on-track and off-track!