Calcutta: Sushmita Singha Roy finally booked her Beijing berth, achieving the A qualification mark of 6000 points, on the concluding day of the National Combined Events and Jumps championships in Bangalore last week.

A wonderful feeling certainly, to qualify for the quadrennial showpiece. But the fact that her qualification came at the very last minute is a cause for concern for the Bengal heptathlete.

“Yes, the last minute qualification does not leave one with the time to be completely mentally prepared,” said Sushmita. “The others have had substantially longer time to be prepared, mentally and otherwise.”

But what is bothering Sushmita more is the fact that her coach, Kuntal Roy, will not be accompanying her to Beijing. “You see, heptathlon is, unlike other events, not a race I run just one day. It is an event which continues over two days and hence the presence of a personal coach would have made a lot of difference.”

She also wishes she had participated in some international tournaments which would have been perfect warm-ups.

Roy, however, brushed aside Sushmita’s misgivings and said that it is all a part of the game and while feeling a little unsure of herself now, Sushmita would be fine once she sets foot on Chinese soil.

He has been doing his utmost to boost her psychologically, while giving her the best possible training and he’s confident she will deliver.

“The training will be heavy loaded over the next week or so and then gradually taper off,” he said, adding that the Amateur Athletic Association has offered full support and has already stepped in with practical aid too.

As for Sushmita, her realistic target for Beijing is to repeat the 6000 mark she hit in Bangalore. That would leave her satisfied and set her one step ahead to what is her real mission, London 2012.