Amid corona lockdown, home bound athletes in Jaipur stay on the grind

Under normal circumstances, they would have been training hard, focused on their next big event. But with the country under a lockdown amid the corona crisis, these athletes in Jaipur are now training indoors, focusing on honing their skills, even as sporting events have been postponed indefinitely.

RAJAT CHAUHAN, ARCHER
Despite the difficult situation, Arjun awardee archer Rajat Chauhan has not lost hope and is practising for the Asian Championship on the terrace of his home.“We can’t just sit idle and wait for the situation to get better. I am practising at home. Thankfully, I had bought a target board in Poland a few years ago. Now, I have placed it on my terrace and I practise every day,” he says.
APURVI CHANDELA, RIFLE SHOOTER
Apurvi Chandela is preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, which has now been postponed till the next year. “I start my day at 5.30am with yoga and meditation. Then I practise shooting for two hours. Thankfully, I have all the equipment required at home,” she says. Apurvi further says she is enjoying being with her family right now.

DEVENDRA JHAJHARIA, JAVELIN THROWER
Devendra Jhajharia was the first Indian to win two gold medals at Paralympics. When the lockdown was announced, he was in Jaipur but he left for his village in Churu to be with his parents. “Since my sport is an outdoor one, I cannot practise it on the terrace. But I workout twice a day. I can’t stop training. I do whatever is possible right now. I run in the open ground of our home and do basic exercises, such as medicine ball throw, weightlifting, etc. Athletes also have to do a lot of meditation and yoga for mental health and I do not miss that at all.”