Bengaluru, (Samajweekly) There is a lot of potential in Indian swimmers, said acclaimed Sports Science Expert Dr Genadijus Sokolovas at the end of a six-day workshop here on Friday.
At the end of the workshop, held at the Dravid-Padukone Academy for Excellence here, Dr Sokolavas said he went into great detail with respect to the breathing techniques.
“We have been developing different drills customized for each individual. This will help the coach and the athletes to understand what exactly they need to work on. We are also doing lactate tests, to determine the ideal training intensity for each individual,” stated Dr Sokolavas, who left for the USA on Thursday.
“After taking these tests, the Indian swimmers can confirm that there is a lot of room to be faster. I believe everybody can swim faster, including world record holders. My prediction is that these guys can swim much faster than they are swimming right now,” he said.
A total of 45 swimmers, including 23 national campers, were put through various tests such as biomechanics-based technique analysis, swim power test, start and turn analysis, lactate profiles for training zones and recovery protocols. During the six-day stay of Dr Sokolavas as part of the national camp in Bengaluru, SFI also conducted a two-day coach’s clinic for which 42 coaches from across India.
“Using the individualised recommendations after testing, I expect top swimmers to make considerable improvements. I also expect more swimmers, especially younger ones who are there are at the camp, to reach an elite level faster. So, by the next Olympics, I am expecting multiple ‘A’ Cuts in India. I would expect the Indian swimmers to be way more competitive by the next Olympics. But we need to keep in mind that the ‘A’ Cut is a moving target,” said Dr Sokolavas.
Dr Sokolavas who has advised more than 70 world champions, sees a lot of potential in the Indian swimmers and expects a few of them to make the ‘A’ Cut by 2024 Olympics.
“I’m really happy to be here. It’s anyone’s desire to be in India at least once in their lifetime. Hopefully, we can collaborate with more athletes, especially in swimming which is my specialisation. We conducted many tests with the Indian swimmers. I have developed many innovative tests that we are using on athletes,” he said.
“For example, the swim power test, which we used on close to 35 athletes — it’s a test that I use to analyse how intra cycle velocity changes for any stroke in swimming. The swimmers can find out where they are making mistakes — whether in the beginning, middle or at the end of the stroke.”
