Asian Games 2018: Powered by PT Usha's pep talk, Jinson Johnson sets aside 800m disappointment to take 1500m gold

He is the unflappable sort, generally. Or so they say. But after losing out on the Asian Games 800m gold medal to a hungrier compatriot Manjit Singh, Jinson Johnson was flustered, getting rather familiar with being quite demoralised. It seemed that the best efforts to change his mood were not enough. For, he would always get back to one question: How did he lose gold? After all, he had dreamt of and was well prepared for the biggest moment of his life. And, as he turned on the home straight, he believed had got his script right and sprinted past the two men ahead of him. But what he did not reckon with was for Manjit Singh to shift to that extra gear and race past him with barely five metres left to break the dream. [caption id=“attachment_5080871” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jinson Johnson. AP[/caption] Most athletes would be delighted with a silver medal at the Asian Games. Not Jinson Johnson. In his reckoning, he had not won silver. He lost gold. It was the easiest thing for him to be downcast, admonishing himself for being unprepared for competition from a man who had helped him gain Sriram Singh’s 800m national record. Out here, it was each man to himself. No team-running. No team orders, either. Sharing apartments with Jinson Johnson, it was apparent to his coach Jasvinder Singh Bhatia that he was losing time. The coach’s best efforts to motivate the 27-year-old Armyman were not finding the desired emotional response. Naturally, it led him to worry and delve deep into his own consciousness to find a solution. And there was not much time left to lose. That was when Bhatia sought track legend PT Usha’s intervention. Of course, towards the end of her stellar career as India’s best-known athlete, he had trained her. And it made sense for him to ask Usha to have a word with Jinson Johnson. The awareness of the enormous respect that his ward had for Usha was a big help. “It was my duty to help Bhatia and Jinson,” Usha said. “I met him a couple of times and reminded Jinson that he had finished fifth in the 1500m in Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast with national record. I told him that he had it in him to win gold here, making him realise that he should not dwell on the 800m race but move ahead.” His pride and self-confidence restored after Usha’s uplifting words, Jinson Johnson came up with the perfect plan for the metric mile. He was right behind the leader Adnan Al Mntfage for the first 700m and it did not matter to him that Bahrain’s Mohammed Tiouali and Iran’s long-striding Amir Moradi made a move on the penultimate lap. He was in fourth place and within striking distance. The race pace was such that Jinson Johnson’s lactate threshold was still some time away while the others were beginning to hit that wall and started losing speed. He kicked hard with 250m to go and joined the men in front. And, by the time he entered the final straight, he was comfortably ahead. The Iranian tried to step up the pace but decided soon that it made sense to settle for silver. Jinson Johnson’s victory was conceived in a room and in his mind. He executed it well on track, giving none else a chance to upset him this time. Yet, it was a great example of the right coaching intervention helping an athlete achieve his potential. In the stands, Bhatia was a relieved man and grateful to Usha for her contribution. Bhatia was pleased that in the 10 months that they have been together as coach and trainee, Johnson did not face an injury issue. “For a long time, he was self-coached by and large and perhaps since his training was not structured he would often get injured. I am delighted that he has been able to focus on development without worrying about injuries,” he said. Such comfort, also engineered by an efficient heart, was instrumental in the Kozhikode-born runner’s breaking Bahadur Prasad’s 1500m national record which had stood for 23 years at Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the legendary Sriram Singh’s 800m mark that has been set as far back as in 1976. Bhatia identified Jinson Johnson’s maturity and sincerity as two his best qualities. “He has the maturity beyond his age and, combined with his honesty to his chosen events, he focusses on training and recovery. The greatest thing about his unwavering focus on his goals is that he is unwilling to let any distractions come in the way. It is hard to find that these days,” he said. The Indian athlete, who will return home with a gold and a silver from the middle-distance events, is among the handful of athletes who have some idea of history. For instance, he is aware of how Sebastian Coe had missed out on the 800m gold medals but won the 1500m crowns in the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. And he has enormous respect for his predecessors and peers. After the medals’ ceremony, he made the Dope Control Officer tag along to the VIP area where a whole army of Indian coaches, officials and athletes were present. He sought out Sriram Singh to pay his respects and Usha to convey his gratitude for her role in his winning gold on Thursday night. Usha, on her part, offered him a beaming, contended smile.