more-in “You are the only one who has pestered me so much,” says Jinson Johnson after I have chased him for days for an interview. I made several calls to him that were cut short for one reason or the other. Not surprising since Jinson is a person in demand. Jinson has many reasons to celebrate. This 27-year-old athlete has won two medals — a gold in 1500 m and silver for 800 m — at the Asian Games held at Indonesia. He is also recently nominated for the Arjuna Award given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. “It was a pleasant surprise. I did not even know that I was considered for this award. I celebrated that day with my family and distributed laddus to my friends and neighbours. I dedicate this award to my parents, Johnson and Shylaja who are my biggest support,” says this Junior Commissioned Officer of the Indian Army from Kozhikode. Jinson says that he had a late entry into athletics. “Usually people get into this field at a very young age. I was in class XI when I started. Meeting coach K M Peter in 2006 was the turning point in my life. Under his guidance, I participated in many state and national competitions and won medals.” He was trained by George Immanuel during his college days at Kottayam before he joined the Indian Army in 2009. “From 2009 to 2012, I trained under Ranjan Jha and from 2012 to 2017, it was under Muhammed Kunhi. I started off with my current coach J S Bhatia in 2017.” Jinson agrees that it was not an easy path. “ I prepared for the Asian games from October 2017. I attended a national camp in Bengaluru and also did high altitude training at Ooty and Bhutan. I worked hard for four hours daily. The continuous training that I received without any injury helped me do my best.” He completed the 800 m race in 1:46:35 (losing the gold to Manjit Singh) and the 1500 m race in 3:44:72. “I felt like a nervous child on the day of his exam right before my competition. Winning a silver in 800 m was a boost for me to do my best in the 1500 m. I was happy when I realised that I won the medals but the best moment was to hear our national anthem being played in the stadium. I felt proud.” How does he feel about losing gold in the 800 m? “We had a healthy competition. I am glad that two Indians won the gold and the silver.” Jinson has also broken two national records, 800 m and 1500 m earlier this year. “The 800 m record that I broke in 1:45:65 at the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championship was 42 years old. It was set by Sriram Singh in 1976. I also broke the 1500 m national record of Bahadur Prasad in 3: 37: 86 at the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast. That was a 23-year-old record.” He says that the experiences he gained from the international competitions helped him in his performance at the Asian Games. “I was ready to face the crowd and the stadium. My only focus was on my performance.” His future plans? “I am training for the Tokyo Olympics. Expectations are high. I will do my best. ” Achievements in this year 800 m national record in 1:45:65 1500 m national record in 3:37:86 Silver medal in 800 m at Asian Games in 1:46:35 Gold medal in 1500 m at Asian Games in 3:44:72 Nominated for Arjuna Award

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