Trust your potential, not drugs, say sportspersons

CHANDIGARH: There's a sense of outrage at Indian athletes like Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose failing the dope test for steroids. What do sportspersons and fitness freaks in city feel about the use of steroids and performance-enhancers? TOC finds out.
"The athletes are being misled by their coaches. I have been trained by a few foreigners at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and their approach was praiseworthy.There's a lot of difference between Indian and foreign coaches, feels Dharmvir Singh, an athlete pursuing BA from Panjab University.
Ajay Rangra, a national-level football player studying Sanskrit at PU, says, "These athletes lack trust in their own potential. Instead of working hard, they prefer illegal drugs under the guidance of their coaches without thinking about its ill-effects."
"It's Asians who are caught most of the time because they don't have proper knowledge about drugs. Once they consume a drug, they don't know the procedure to flush it out. A special diet can help flush out the drug from the body," says Kunal Butia, head trainer at a city gym.
Youngsters going to gym also take supplements to build weight and muscles. There's no harm in consuming proteins if you workout regularly in a gym under expert guidance.
Taking excessive supplements can cause various problems like dehydration, calcium deficiency and increase in uric acid, says Sonia Gandhi, dietician at Fortis.