GWALIOR: “Only a complete overhauling of the system and better facilities can improve our standards” opine Dr. Ajmer Singh former international athlete and present Dean of the Lakshmi Bai College of Physical Education in Gwallor.
“There is no denying that our standard has declined but it is not because our athletes are inferior to any one” feels the former quarter miler. According to Dr. Ajmer Singh need of the hour is total change in the approach.
Although Dr. Singh calls for change in athletics officialdom he has not spared the athlete’s. “Our athletes are capable and they do train hard but what lacks in them is they don’t enjoy athletics And this is the reason why they quit after they get jobs on sports merit” he feels.
“In fact in some cases athletes do not even attain their full potential before they retire. Take the cases of Leroy Burrell Carl Lewis and Sergei among others. They are all above 30 and Burrell even 34 but they are doing so well. It depends on an individual.
“New Zealander Jack Foster started athletics at the age of 40 yet he became the Commonwealth Games champion. Kipchoge Keino Ron Clarke and many others have clocked better timings than any of our youngsters. In India we suffer from this myth that peak time for an athlete is before 30. I don’t agree with this” says Dr.Singh confidently.
On the long dreary camps which have often come under criticism Dr.Singh says “If a particular athlete does not improve after the first camp he should be asked to leave. But this does not happen. Government spends lakhs of rupees but without results. Look at discus thrower Shakti Singh. Invariably you will find him in the camps but at the time of competition he would pull out on one pretext or the other. What is the point in keeping him in the camp?”
How long does it take to produce a world champion? “In 10 years we can produce a world beater provided we spot talent and groom it properly” Dr. Singh feels. “There is no short cut to success. Hard training and motivation coupled with a proper watch on an athlete is the answer”.
“But how will our athletes get motivated when they see former stars in dire straits. Do you think after reading about Makhan Singh and Sohan Singh children will get attracted to athletics? Sohan is without a job and literally begging. He is even willing to work as a peon but there is no job available. So where is the motivation for youngsters” Dr. Singh said in 8 pensive moods. “If Sohan was in Germany or some other country he would have won several gold’s for that country. It is sheer bad luck that he is in India and finds it difficult to make a living”.
On the role of the athletics federation Dr.Singh says “Permitt meets will never help. They are like trying to build a multi-storey building without proper foundation. In no way it will help the athletes.”
Recalling an incident of his active days Dr. Singh said “During an Indo German meet we were put up in a third rate hotel and also travelled third class. But the visiting team was put up in better accommodation. When our team captain Labh Singh (army personnel) protested the AAFI complained against him to army chief.”
Dr. Ajmer Singh considers Milkha Singh as the greatest Indian athlete so far. “Yes Usha was also good bat not even a patch on Milkha. He was a disciplined athlete and I don’t think anyone in India can train so hard as he used to do” he said.
“In fact I got inspiration from Milkha and he encouraged me a lot. In my days Services atheists were on top and hardly any outsider could make it to the Indian team but Milka helped me and I also did not let him down” From nobody to a top flight star is the story of Dr.Ajmer Singh India’s finest quarter-miler. Today as Dean of the Laxmi Bai College of Physical Education (LNCPE) in Gwalior an institution where he was groomed as a star he owes it all to discipline and dedication.
Born in 1939 at village Kup Kalan in Sangrur district of Punjab Ajmer Singhnever thought he will make a mark on the international athletic field let alone at the national level. Having been born in a farmer’s family and his siblings nowhere in sports his initiation into sports was out of the blue.
But in college he was obliged to take part in some sports and he was baptized as a kabaddi player. Incidentally his local college at that time did not offer much else.
But perhaps it was in his destiny to become an athlete thanks to a college mate who told him about the Laxmi Bai College where Ajmer got admission in 1961.
Once in the college destiny again played a big role in his life. He had to opt a game of his choice for specialization. Not finding kabaddi in the college curriculum he chose hockey. But Dr.Karan Singh who had already spotted talent in him had something else in mind for the well-built young Sikh.
A beginning was made and his association with Dr.Karan Singh grew stronger. And the bond between the two blossomed into India’s top runner.
Ajmer made his progress step by step. In the first year he excelled in the 100 meters but next year a natural sprinter Ajmer won both the 100 and the 200 meters.
From college to the Vikram University (now Jiwaji) level. Ajmer did not let his coach down as he came first in the university in both races. In 1963 he did one better. He also set the meet records in both the events.
Came 1964 the year of the Olympiad. And much to the delight of the guru and disciple Ajmer made the Indian team for Tokyo.
His performance in Tokyo was satisfactory but in the company of better known Milkha Singh and Makhan Singh he did not get much attention. But Ajmer got all the attention from his guru. The shrewd coach that he was Karan Singh realized Ajmer’s limited potential in shorter sprints due to his sluggish start. He shifted him to 400 meters. The switch clicked and he became a national champion in 1965.
But the most fruitful year for Ajmer was 1966 He ran in the Asian Games in Bangkok and won gold in the 400 meters. And to prove that his victory was not a flash in the pan he also bagged silver in the 200 meters. He clocked 468 seconds in the longer event and 21.0 in 200 meters.
His performances in Bangkok were acknowledged by the government and the Arjuna Award was conferred on him. In fact the year had some other pleasant surprises also in store for him. He was blessed with a son and attained first class master’s degree.
Ajmer had arrived on the scene. He took part in the next two Asiads and maintained his winning streak at national level. He was no more a student. He joined the faculty of the college as a lecturer. The added responsibility and some differences at LNCPE dissuaded him from training as hard as he used to do. But he was still good enough to help the Indian quartet win silver in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran.
What was the secret of his success? “Discipline” he summed up in one word “Dr.Karan Singh’s word was like a gospel truth for me. Even though I was slow at the start I never took a false start” he said with obvious pride “And it was all because I never missed a training session be it rain or sunshine” he added.
“And why me even my coach never missed a session” Ajmer said with gratitude. He recalled an incident. “It was raining that day and Prasad (now executive director of SAI) and I decided to skip the practice. We thought the coach Sahib would also take a rest. But we decided to go because we knew the coach Sahib was a stickler for practice session. And we were right.
“You won’t imagine Karan Singh was already there on the track with an umbrella. Completely oblivious of the heavy downpour the coach sahib went on giving us our schedule. The only consolation was that we were to run on the road and not on the soggy cinder track.”
What does he feel now? Quite content with life Ajmer feels athletics has given him everything. He has two sons Sarabjeet and Amar Preet and a grandson Karamjit Singh who is only three-and-a-half years old. Unlike him none of his sons is interested in sports. The father too never forced them to take to sports. But he is determined to see his grandson in the sports arena not necessarily on the tracks. “He can take up any game be likes But I want him to be a sportsman.”
Article extracted from this publication >> September 6, 1991
