Cuban coaches shape up India’s athletics future

Gandhinagar: The names of Olympic champion Anier Garcia and two-time World Championships medallist, Yoandri Betanzos Francis, might not ring a bell for an average Indian sports fan. But in the world of athletics, they have been among the most revered track and field stars and coaches.
The two Cuban Olympians were spotted at the National Games Gujarat on the concluding day of athletics competitions here, guiding their pupils to medal glory at the country’s premier multi-sport meet.TOI caught up with them at IIT Gandhinagar, the venue for the athletics events, for a chat to understand their training methods which has helped shape up the country’s NextGen of hurdlers, jumpers and sprinters.
For starters, Garcia and Francis have been training the likes of Jeswin Aldrin, Eldhose Paul, Abdulla Aboobacker, Tejas Shirse, Yashwanth Kumar, Kanimozhi, Sharvari Parulekar, Praveen Chithravel and Arpinder Singh, among others.
“It’s been eight months in India and you can see the results at the World Championships (Lausanne) and in Birmingham CWG. Jeswin and Praveen had qualified for the Worlds while Eldhose, Abdulla and Praveen were among the top-four in men’s triple jump. It’s our first time in India and the country has immense potential in athletics. We are here to identify and nurture the young talent,” said Garcia, who is a two-time Olympic medallist, having won the gold in the men’s 110m hurdles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and bronze in Athens four years later.
Francis, who trains the jump athletes, won silver at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, and at the 2005 edition in Helsinki. He participated in two Olympic Games – Athens (2004) and London (2012) – with his best finish being fourth in the men’s triple jump in Athens.
“Indians are developing athletes. They are talented but need guidance and a proper training programme. We have a responsibility to show them the right direction. Over the years, the jump athletes have been doing a wonderful job and we are hopeful of a good number of athletes qualifying for the Paris Olympics,” said Francis, also a two-time Pan American Games champion. Before landing in India, the two were training national athletics teams of Mexico and Cuba.