Nanda’s funda!

Cutting every fraction of a second is a phenomenal exercise, but Srabani Nanda believes that “everything is in your mind.” She is confident of getting to that higher level of performance, as she has been working hard, with discipline and determination.

Srabani Nanda... “I want to run 21 seconds (in 200 metres). That is my dream.”

It is a track on which even an Usain Bolt may have struggled to make an impact. The track in Patiala, at the Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports, is “puffed’’ and “soft,’’ holding the athletes back from putting their best foot forward and getting their best time.

Of course, there is a brand new track coming up on the adjacent field, which could encourage athletes to rewrite old marks, in time to come.

In such a setting, it was no surprise that even after a six-month stint in Jamaica, the home of the most decorated athlete Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and many other greats, Srabani Nanda did not exactly set the track on fire.

“I am in the transition period,’’ observed Srabani, who won the 200-metre gold and the 100-metre silver in the Federation Cup meet. She had returned from Jamaica on May 27, for the meet scheduled from June 1 to 4 in Patiala.

Focussed on preparation for the Asian Championship in Bhubaneswar in July and the World Championship in London in August, the 25-year-old Srabani was still in the training mode. Of course, she did compete in a series of events in Jamaica, but that was all part of the training process.

The Odisha star, Srabani, clocked 23.57 for the 200-metre gold and 11.57 for the 100-metre silver, in finishing ahead of fellow athlete from Odisha, Dutee Chand, in the former race and behind her in the latter one.

Srabani had clocked a career-best 23.07 in Almaty last year, when coming under the Olympic qualification mark of 23.20. Later, in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Srabani had the good fortune of meeting Usain Bolt and taking pictures with him.

That sowed the seeds for her training stint in Jamaica, about three months later, with the whole-hearted support of the Odisha government. In fact, Srabani was in Jamaica with her coach Tarun Saha, so as to ensure continuity of the training methods on her return.

“Only Elaine Thompson was there, and a lot of young Jamaican athletes,’’ said Srabani, quite guarded not to talk about the details of her stint, till an “appropriate time.’’

Elaine Thompson had won the gold in the 100 and 200 metres in Rio, apart from the 100m relay silver. She had also won the 200m silver in the World Championship in 2015, and the relay gold. She has a personal best 21.66 for 200 metres and 10.70 for 100 metres.

Not bad company at all, for Srabani!

Doing better than her best time and qualifying for the World Championship in London is the immediate target and top priority for Srabani.

“I want to run 21 seconds. That is my dream,’’ says Srabani, quite convinced that she can pursue her goal with all the energy she can muster in her small frame.

Did she miss home and Indian food during her long stint in Jamaica?

“It was a lot of hard work and I really enjoyed it. Depending on how things go, I may go back for training there again,’’ said Srabani.

Food was not an issue, as she does not eat much spice. “I eat chicken, fish and meat. It was the same there,’’ she recalled.

A bronze medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games was the beginning of many good things for Srabani. She had also been part of the relay team that won the gold in the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008. And she had won the SAF Games bronze in the 100 and 200 in 2007.

More recently, she had won the gold in 200 and the silver in 100 in the SAF Games in Guwahati in February 2016.

Cutting every fraction of a second is a phenomenal exercise, but Srabani believes that “everything is in your mind.’’

She is confident of getting to that higher level of performance, as she has been working hard, with discipline and determination.

Srabani has a healthy rivalry with the small-built, gutsy Dutee Chand. Dutee loves to train and compete with her friend, Himashree Roy.

Srabani is happy chatting with friends, talking to family and watching a lot of Bollywood movies. She is also waiting for some dream performances!