With a 32-year-old woman coach in his corner, young Indian long jumper pushes limits, tests seasoned pros

It is easy to make Keerti Tiwari for an athlete. She’s in good shape, is lithe, and might as well have been one of the fellow jumpers egging on the participants in the men’s long jump. However, it turns out she’s a Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach with a Master’s degree in sports psychology from LNIPE in Gwalior, a deemed sports university. She’s on her feet every other minute during competition, reviewing each jump and quickly giving feedback to athletes. At the Maharaja’s College Ground during the men’s long jump final, Keerti is focussed on David P, a 23-year-old. On paper, David is not the favourite in a field that includes national record holder Jeswin Aldrin. Because of recent hamstring strains, David and Aldrin are not at their best. Aldrin took the lead in the second round with 7.83 metres, but David came roaring back with 7.94m in the fourth to clinch the gold medal.
Though none of the jumpers in the final qualified for the Asian Championships or crossed the 8-metre mark, an interesting battle on the cards is expected as the season progresses. Commonwealth Games silver medal Sreeshankar Murali is set to return in about three months after knee surgery. David could emerge as the dark horse and give the experienced jumpers a run for their money.
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“This year or next year I will break (the national record),” David said. The long jumper from Salem has no idols. “See, I want people to take my name like Mike Powell’s,” he said confidently.
Keerti was the first person he thanked for winning the gold. The Keerti-David coach-trainee partnership, which has been in place for three years, is starting to reap rewards. “He jumped 7.94 metres in his first major competition of the year which is a good sign. I believe he can jump 8.20 metres this year,” Keerti said.
But David knows that his ambitions of making it big depend on staying as injury-free as possible. Because of injuries; a quadriceps tear and a hamstring tear, David, a junior Federation Cup gold medal in 2021, missed the whole of last year. He thanks the coach, his physio and the Olympic Gold Quest team for being patient and supporting him during the injury phase. “Other sponsors tend to get impatient with athletes but I didn’t face any such issues.”
Keerti, 32, is aware she is one of the youngest coaches on the Indian athletics circuit. Her coaching philosophy is about being collaborative rather than being dictatorial. Five athletes she trains are competing at the Federation Cup.Story continues below this ad
“Some are speed jumpers, some are power jumpers. I have to be athlete-centric. I am not like ‘I have said this, so you must do as I say.’ When it comes to workouts, I discuss with the athletes and we come to a decision. Athletes have to be happy with the workout and also trust the coach. Only then will we see good results. If I am a dictator then it could even result in injury for the athletes,” Keerti said.
A former 400-metre runner, Keerti participated at the All India University level but didn’t medal. She was struck the shortage of good coaches, especially women. “One of my mentors told me if you are so interested in coaching you should take it up,” Keerti said. “Having a Masters in sports psychology is an advantage because I can read their state of mind when athletes are on the runway.”
She gets her validation when the athletes win medals. So far, she believes she is on the right track, guiding athletes like David at SAI’s National Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. “I feel proud when I stand in the pavilion and see my athletes on the podium. When they win medals I also get the confidence that I am doing the right thing,” the coach said.
Avoiding tuitions
David turned to sports to avoid ‘special class’ at school and tuition. He convinced his parents to enroll him at the ‘Do-or-Die’ track and field academy in Salem. .”They wanted me to focus on something. Instead of tuition, they said ‘ok’ to athletics. I was happy,” David said.Story continues below this ad
However, for a year he kept his parents in the dark about where he actually was. “I loved playing street cricket. I was a bowler. I didn’t go for athletics training.”
David ultimately ran out of luck when a neighbour spotted him playing on the streets and informed his parents. His furious mother disrupted the street cricket match and gave him a whacking with a rope in front of everyone.
That was the end of his cricket. But his parents were still willing to give him another opportunity in athletics. His poor marks in Class 10 exams gave his father Patturaj, a mechanic, and mother Jayaseeli no other option.
“My two older sers were good students. One of them got 98 per cent and the other 95 per cent. I got only about 50 per cent. After Class 10 results I took up athletics seriously. In Class 11 he jumped 5:50m and Class 12 it was 7:45 m,” David said. The gamble to give his all in athletics has paid off. The medals apart, his parents are overjoyed that he has got a steady job.Story continues below this ad
“I am with the Southern Railways and posted at Erode. I am the first person from my family to get a Central government job,” David said. His next aim: to cross the 8-metre mark consently even as he aims for Aldrin’s national record.