New Delhi, Aug. 21: Wrestler Sushil Kumar’s bronze and boxer Vijender Kumar’s continuing tilt at the gold in Beijing are individual feats that have defied a training system lacking in the application of science, experts say.

“Champions are now largely made through science,” said Jaspal Sandhu, dean of sports medicine at the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, ruing that the country’s coaches and sports officials had little time for scientific advice.

Sports medicine specialists believe that the abysmally low use of scientific techniques in Indian sports training could be a key reason for the country’s poor Olympics haul — an all-time-high three in Beijing so far against 79 each earned by China and the US.

“Sports training needs back-up from sports physiology, bio-mechanics, body oxygen and energy-expenditure analysis, but all this is largely missing in India,” said Sandhu, former president of the Indian Association of Sports Medicine.

Veteran sports medics say the country faces an acute shortage of sports science faculty.

The Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala, has a sports science faculty of less than 10, compared with 80 at similar centres in Japan and Australia, said Ashok Ahuja, head of sports medicine at the institute.

“We’re preparing for Commonwealth (Games) 2010 in 16 disciplines. We need 16 sports medicine teams, each with a physician, psychologist, nutritionist and physiotherapist. But even if we pool nation-wide resources, we’ll have at best four teams,” Ahuja said.

India has also failed to introduce routine video analysis of games that can help its contestants refine their attack or counterattack strategies, particularly in racquet, combat and team sports, Ahuja said.

Sports psychologists say that Indian athletes are not taught to focus their minds, either.

“You can get a medal only when your mind is ready,” said Rajendra Singh, president of the Sports Psychology Association of India, now a teacher at Jiwaji University, Gwalior.

“Psychological counselling can help a player achieve a state of mind where the best performance is possible,” said sports psychologist Sanjeev Sahni, formerly with the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The SAI had seven sports psychologists on its rolls in 1992 but now there is only one, based in Calcutta, Sahni said. “The ideal location should have been Patiala or Bangalore where most national (sports) camps are held.”

Jiwaji’s Rajendra Singh had last year accompanied the Indian swimming squad to an international tournament for the disabled in Taipei as a professional psychologist. The Indians beat their own records by up to 7 seconds and returned with six golds.

But researchers concede that in certain athletics events and endurance sports, even small changes in the body’s oxygen-carrying capacity can lead to dramatic differences in performance, Sandhu said.

So how did Vijender and Sushil do it? Sandhu said that although stamina is important in wrestling and boxing, these sports hinge more on technique and skill. “This could partly explain the success India has had in wrestling and boxing.”

He added: “It’s a pity that sports science research done in India gets noticed by foreigners but remains ignored by our own people.”

One technique refined by Sandhu and his colleagues can be used to improve recovery time after training and reduce the risk of fatigue; another is designed to improve hand stability -- important in shooting and archery.

“But our coaches don’t appear to want any interference from us,” Sandhu said.

SEMIS TODAY

VIJENDER KUMAR VS EMILIO CORREA (CUBA)

12:46 PM IST ON DD