Only Indian coaches can understand the needs of athletes, says steeplechaser Avinash Sable

National record holder in 300m steeplechase, Avinash Sable, is against hiring a foreign coach as he feels the Indians understand better the physical fitness and shortcomings of their athletes.

“An Indian coach can understand the Indian body. He knows better what are the needs and shortcomings of Indian athletes. However, other coaches also are good,” Sable was quoted as saying by PTI in the presence of his coach Amrish Kumar, who is an army officer.

Sable is running in the 12th edition of World 10K on Sunday. Backing Sable’s view, Kumar said he always felt foreign coaches do not understand the physical attributes of Indian athletes.

“That’s what happened. Sable could not participate in the Asian Games because of the injury he suffered while training under former foreign national coach Nicolai Sensarev in Bengaluru,” he said.

Sable approached Kumar after his performance dipped following an injury and Sensarev’s departed in September.

“He returned to us in October and we worked on his injury,” Kumar said. “For first three months we did not let him run fast and slowly increased the pace because he had little strength and moderate endurance. But, he had good speed.”

Sable pointed out that he set a new national record of 8:28.94 under an Indian coach, which helped him qualify for the Asian and World Championships.

Sable is training in Bengaluru to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and soon would be shifting base to Ooty. Asked about his chances of qualifying for the Olympics, Amrish said Sable would definitely do well in the Asian Games.

“Sable may not appear to be physically that strong, but he is mentally very strong. He is definitely going to qualify for Olympics in Asian Games heat,” he added.

Replying to a query, Sable said the army life instills discipline, which is very important in an athlete’s life. “Army life is beneficial for an athlete like me. Because of he discipline life army men follow. The army also teaches us not to complain of anything, whether it is about the bad track or running in tough weather conditions,” he said.

“This discipline I inculcated during my posting at Siachen Glacier where the temperature sometimes falls below 50 degree Celsius. I also rendered my duties in extreme hot conditions of Rajasthan. Doing duty under different weather conditions has only made by endurance strong,” he said.