Rourkela: Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Rosemarie Whyte and Somesh Swain. If you are wondering who Somesh is in this star line-up, read on.
Somesh, a Class VIII boy, is going to rub shoulders with some modern greats in track and field as he prepares to join the Racers Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica. Founded by Glen Mills, the club has trained several Olympic medallists, including Bolt.
The Delhi Public School student reached the finals of the third edition of GAIL Indian Speed Star - a nationwide trial to identify budding track and field athletes that culminated with the selection of 10 youngsters at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex, New Delhi, on February 21. The initiative aims to identify and groom athletes with a target of securing India's first track and field medals at the Olympics in 2020 and 2024.
The lone child of Pankajini and Saroj Swain, athletics run in Somesh's genes as his father, a technician at Rourkela Steel Plant's cold rolling mill, was a national-level sprinter and had represented Odisha in several track and field events in the 1990s.
"I found that he possessed an athletic streak when he started to win championships in school," said Saroj. In 2016, Somesh, 13, took part in the national games in his age category. "He also won gold in the CBSE Eastern Zone Championship and secured a bronze medal in the all-India event," said his father.
The GAIL programme, where Somesh will stay for the coming months, includes training sessions, physiotherapy and mental conditioning camps for the selected athletes. The training in Jamaica is part of the exercise. This has imbued Somesh with confidence.
Despite his focus on track and field, Somesh hasn't neglected his studies.
"He regularly scores in the higher 90s in his exams," Saroj said. He has also cleared the first-level of the Junior Maths Olympiad.
"He is equally serious about his studies and takes tuitions so that he does not miss out," Saroj said.
A disciplinarian, Somesh leads a very restricted life. "He does not like fast food. Alongside standard home-cooked food, his diet includes fruits, sprouts and milk," his father said. With the humid summer months on the horizon, his fluid intake has also gone up. P.T. Usha found that his body was shaking during the GAIL meet. Saroj said the legendary sprinter explained that this was due to the lack of weight exercises and "she assured that the training programme would take care of this problem". Besides, his school also plans to install sophisticated weight training equipment to help Somesh and other budding talents.
"He trains for four hours daily in his school under his sports teacher Dhiren Samantshinghar. I also contribute from my own experience," Saroj said. He trains for an extra two hours ahead of competitions. Somesh has also kept himself away from addictions of his age such as Facebook and WhatsApp and does not carry a mobile.
His school is also supporting him in all possible ways. "The school is providing all the equipment and I am thankful to his principal," said Saroj. After his success in the CBSE meet, Somesh received a pair of Puma running shoes from his school. The school has also waived his fees.
"He has talent and must get scope and exposure," said Delhi Public School, Rourkela, principal S.B. Rath.
Saroj said his first priority for his son is athletics, despite his excellent academic record. "Even if he cracks the IITs, I would prefer that he sticks to athletics as it is more prestigious," said Saroj.
His son is also clear in his mind about what he wants to do, he said.
Saroj accompanies his son to all competitions. "If allowed, I would like to accompany my son to all the competitions, that would help me a lot because the Almighty is taking care of the rest for him," he said.
