‘Trust the method and imagine in your self’ reads the Whatsapp bio of younger sprinter Rezoana Mallick Heena. As a long way as growth is anxious, the 16-year-old from West Bengal’s Nadia district has put herself at the rapid observe.
Heena made a sensational debut on the National Open in 400m, clocking 53.22s to set the U-16 nationwide document. She has now bettered the Asian U-18 document (52.98s), successful gold in Tashkent remaining week via making improvements to upon the former perfect set via Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser (53.02s) — the 2019 international champion.
“It was my first international meet and I enjoyed a lot with the team,” stated Heena, who returned house on Tuesday. She has been coaching below trainer Arjun Ajay within the altitude of Ooty since November 2019 and has taken giant strides this season.
“Sir (coach) told me I could break the national record and even the championship record was possible, so to just focus and believe. My mindset was to do well. I was a bit nervous but then I just ran my race, leading from the start. It has given me a lot of confidence, but I am not looking too far ahead. I don’t want to be overconfident. I have to do better,” she says.
Ajay says it is very important ensure that her growth is easy. “I’m specializing in her expansion. I do not wish to push her at this level and for this reason I’m really not loading her. I’m very cautious together with her workout routines even on the subject of working with spikes. She practiced with spikes only for a couple of days earlier than the development.
“She has a lot of potential. She is tall, has good strides and she has a lot of fire in her.”
Though she has an India main time (400m) this season, Ajay is but to take a choice on whether or not to try for the Asian Games, to be held in Huangzhou in September.
“I will be able to have to talk to AFI and talk about. Of path, I’m getting ready her for the Asian junior championships this 12 months and the focal point will probably be World Junior Championships subsequent 12 months. But she has given just right timing and we can see whether or not she will be able to compete within the Inter-state for Asian Games variety,” says Ajay, who has additionally skilled Priya Mohan, the two-time international junior combined relay medallist.
Heena, who additionally received the 200m silver and the gold in staff medley (run over 100m, 200m and 300m with the anchor working 400m) has grown up idolising more than one Olympic medalist Allyson Felix. Her folks are kabaddi avid gamers and her father offered her to sprints when she was once simply 5.
“I was very small when my father took me to the ground. He used to show me videos of Allyson Felix. Since then, I have wanted to be a 400m runner. She runs smoothly and I have tried to follow her style,” she says.