Asian Games: Smart track on hand as Sable & Co. strive to boost India’s hopes

The countdown to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya later this month has begun in earnest, with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) pinning its hopes on a jumbo 73-member squad to raise its tally from an all-time high of 29 medals in Guangzhou three years ago.

Eight of the medal prospects, including last time’s gold medallists, steeplechaser Avinash Sable and long-distance runner Parul Chaudhary, are fine-tuning their preparations with the aid of some cutting-edge technology at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Bengaluru.

A specialised ‘smart track’, which allows coaches to capture real-time performance data during training itself, is being used by the middle- and long-distance runners. Explaining the difference it makes, SAI coach Suresh Kumar told SAI media: “It’s the only one of its kind in India. What happens is when the athlete runs, we get the real-time speed data, the split timings, wherever the gates are placed, the total timing as well as the stride length and the stride frequency. All this data is captured in real time. This helps a lot for the athletes in training.”

Sable, one of the six gold medallists in the last edition of the continental showpiece, is in a race against time to peak for his speciality event — the gruelling 3,000 m steeplechase — after he pulled out of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games due to a knee injury.

The other Japan-bound athletes working out in Bengaluru are Parul Chaudhary, Krishan Kumar (800m), Aadarsh Ram and Supriya B (high jump), Thowfeeq N (decathlon) and race walkers Manju Rani and Priyanka.

Asked about the medal prospects of such a large contingent (35 men and 38 women), Adille Sumariwala, a long-serving former president of the AFI, gave a reality check. Speaking to National Herald, the chairman of the senior selection committee said: “Let’s remember, a large number of qualifiers for an event like the Asian Games is no guarantee for a proportionate rise in medals, as some of them barely make the cut. However, our performance graph has been up. In Jakarta in 2018, the athletes landed 19 medals, which became 29 in Guangzhou. We are certainly hopeful that it will rise further in Japan.”

The smart track was installed at SAI Bengaluru in 2024 and has since been used by elite athletes training at the centre. Its timing gates are positioned both on the straight and around the curve, allowing coaches to analyse different phases of a run – an extremely crucial component, as races are often won or lost at the end. An accompanying app also enables the data to be accessed immediately for subsequent analysis.

Interestingly, the technology has been designed to work alongside existing athletics infrastructure rather than requiring a completely new track. According to Kumar, the system can be installed on any existing synthetic track by embedding the magnetic gates beneath the surface, with installation possible within a day. The system also gives coaches data that is difficult to capture manually during a sprint. “You even get the split timing because for a sprint coach, if I’m at the finish line or like 40m or 50m away from when the athlete is starting, we will be able to get the electronic split time,” Kumar explained.

The track’s embedded magnetic timing gates also ensure that training does not have to stop because of unpredictable weather. Unlike conventional portable timing equipment, the system remains embedded in the track and can be used in rain or dusty conditions. “With this, we don’t have to worry about the weather or any wear and tear. It’s just like it’s already there. You just need to run over in between that. The real-time data is always available,” Kumar added.

The coaching team in Bengaluru comprises specialised coaches such as race-walking coach Ronald Gerd Weigel, jumps coach Sahana Kumari Nagaraj Gobbargumpi and coach Kalyan Chaudhary.