Athletes to blame for dope trouble: Ravi Kumar-Sep 29, 2010

Athletes to blame for dope trouble: Ravi Kumar


Saumyajit Basu, TNN, Sep 29, 2010, 01.59am IST


Tags:weightlifting|ravi kumar|harnaam singh|games village|cwg 2010 weightlifting|commonwealth games
NEW DELHI: K Ravi Kumar is not one to mince words. Winner of the Commonwealth championship gold medal in weightlifting in 2009, Ravi is the biggest hope in men's weightlifting (69kg) for India in the Commonwealth Games, if his coach Harnaam Singh is to be believed. Not only does Ravi lift medal-winning weights, he also weighs his words carefully before speaking and often comes across as thought provoking. Lifting as a sport often hogs the headlines for dope taints and Ravi strongly feels that athletes themselves are primarily to be blamed.

"It is not a small problem and if we try to shift the blame on the coaches and officials, we'll be climbing up the wrong tree. The athletes are to be blamed. They know exactly what they are taking and feigning innocence after being caught is something that is not acceptable," said Ravi while talking to TOI at the Games Village on Tuesday. He is not one to shy away from the responsibility that Indian lifters now face. "It is our job to improve this tarnished image. We want to prove all the detractors wrong."

Hailing from Berhampur in Orissa, it was his cousin sister who initiated him into weightlifting. "I used to be a bodybuilder. My sister guided me to weightlifting, and I joined a summer camp in Berhampur in 2003. You can say the journey started from there."

After his standard 12 exams, Ravi focused all his energies on lifting and joined the Dhenkannel SAI in 2005. "Lifting is not a very popular sport but I realised it is relatively easy to meet international standards. One has to fix the target and work accordingly. It is an individual sport so there is no way one can cheat."

Championing a cause for his sport, the national champion in his category is rather excited to participate in his first 'big' event. "This is the biggest event for me so far. So many athletes coming over, such fantastic facilities. It really feels great."
Ravi assures that he is confident of winning a gold in the 69kg category here. At the Asian Games next month, he expects at least a bronze. "My current form and ranking only point towards that but I have a feeling I can improve in the Asian Games."

The lifter with a refreshing sense of humour broke into a hearty smile when asked about his diet. "Well, it's normal, you know. What people get to hear are mostly stories. We eat normally as you do but we are little more cautious with our calorie intake. We basically follow a chart to keep our weight in check and take protein supplements."

During the trials in August, Ravi lifted 321kg and in training he totalled 335kg, which is way beyond the gold medal target. This one, truly, is on the golden trail.