Staff Writer – Archi
Sports news. Young Indian sprinter Amiya Mallick, the national 200m champion, is getting the opportunity to make a mark.
Mallick, who hails from Bhubaneshwar, on the eastern part of India, will train under Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt’s coach Glen Mills for a period of four months beginning January 14 as part of his preparations for the Asian Games (July 23 to August 3) and Commonwealth Games (September 19 to October 4). He will train at Mills’ academy — the Racers Track Club.
Besides Bolt, Mills has coached the likes of 2012 London Games 100m silver medalist Yohan Blake of Jamaica, 1999 World Championship silver medalist Dwayne Chambers of Britain, 2002 Manchester CWG 100m gold medalist Kim Collins from St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean and 1984 Olympics 4x100m silver medalist Ray Stewart. Currently he is Jamaica’s relay team coach.
“I will train under Usain’s coach Mills for four months. I will be flying to Kingston via Newark on January 12. I am sure the programme will help me improve my timing and confidence. I will also seek his help in improving my fitness and stamina,” Mallick said.
Amiya Mallick. Photo courtesy ibnlive.in.com
The 21-year-old, who holds a personal best time of 10.5sec in 100m and 21.22sec in 200m, is mentored by women’s national 100m champion Rachita Mistry and coached by Neel Madhav Dev of National Institute of Sports in his hometowm.
It was Mistry’s effort which prompted the Orissa Athletics Association to sponsor Mallick’s trip.
Coach Glen Mills. Photo courtesy www.jamaicaobserver.com
Mallick started running at the age of five but only realized he had the requisite skills to do well globally after a brilliant display at the 2009 National School Games — where he won gold in all the sprint categories.
“I sustained a quadriceps muscle tear before the National Games in Ranchi, so I switched to 200m from 100m. That took some time to heal but I am fit now.
I am excited about my Jamaica sojourn and I hope to bring smiles to everyone’s face with some good results later,” he said.
