Run, Lalu Run: Kalahandi rookie promises to make up for lost ground

Head coach Owens excited about Odisha HPC youngsters' prospect of forging together a brilliant relay side in near future
Lalu Prasad Bhoi had grabbed the headlines two years back when he finished third in the men's long jump at Indian Grand Prix 4 held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. It was a personal best jump of 7.58m that helped the young athlete qualify for U20 World Athletics.
However, the Odisha athlete couldn't make it to the world event that was held in Cali, Colombia.
Speaking about the big miss, his coach at Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre (HPC), Rohit Mane said, "Right after the Indian GP, there was the Junior Federation Cup which was held in Gujarat. It was very hot there in June and he couldn't maintain his form and his best there was just 7.20m. Later he went to the camp as well but couldn't do well in the trials."
It was heartbreaking to say the least for the youngster, who received his first training from Trinath Nayak at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences in Kalahandi.
But Lalu took it all in his stride and shifted his focus to 100m sprint under the watchful eyes of Mane and last month bagged the gold in the event at 63rd National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru.
While in the final he ran 10.46 seconds to beat the likes of Gurindervir Singh and Amlan Borgohain, it was in the semifinals that he really impressed the most by completing the race in 10.34 seconds.
"He has been making the finals in the 100m consistently for several events, but he was just missing the gold. The 100m final is all about how confidently you can face the challenge and the pressure of the final," said Mane during a telephonic conversation.
"So, I knew he was there but even then, running 10.34 seconds in the semifinals was outstanding. Moreover, in the final, he beat two national record holders, and he did it all by being himself."
Coming from a humble background in Kalahandi district, Lalu, whose father works as a mason and mother as a cook in a local hostel, has indeed overwhelmed not only his coaches but his fellow competitors, too.
"He is certainly a promising athlete, and I'm confident he will do well in future. He is very explosive and quick from the blocks," said Amiya Kumar Mallick, who holds the current 100m national record.
As for Lalu himself, he was more than pleased with his showing and said, "It felt good to run at such a time. I had some injuries and couldn't give my best in the earlier competitions. However, this time I worked hard and gave my best."
While Lalu's performance has no doubt been the talk of the town, Martin Owens, who is the head coach of HPC, is more than excited about how the youngsters have been pushing each other and can together become a brilliant relay side.
"We have got a good crop of young sprinters coming through. Manikanta Hoblidhar, Animesh Kujur, Lalu...and they are all pushing each other to be better and it just bodes well for the future of Indian sprinting," said Owens during an interaction with TOI.
"Individually and collectively, we have got the potential to put together a world class 4x100m relay team. The boys really ran well in the Open Nationals and won for Odisha, and it was basically three young guys and Amiya."
Hopefully with the continued support of the coaches at HPC, Lalu will bag more laurels in the coming days and maybe, also be part of history. Because if coach Martins is to be believed, the young group of athletes indeed have the potential to do great things like breaking the 10-second barrier.
"We are looking for inspiration and the belief from the athletes that they can be better than everyone else. So, it's exciting times. However, I cannot put a time on it. But it may happen in the U20, or the Commonwealth Games or the Asiad," added Martins before signing off.