Athletes aren't born, they're scientifically made here
Rehabilitation, training, and nutritional support were simply unaffordable in private centres.
Her Olympic dream got a fresh lease of life as the Tamil Nadu govt launched a cutting-edge Sports Science Centre — the first of its kind in the state — in the heart of the city to sculpt world-class athletes through science and precision.
Inaugurated a month ago by sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, the 3-crore facility set up by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) is already attracting medal-winning athletes like Rosy.
Located at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the centre offers everything under one roof: biomechanics analysis, reflex calculator, sprint training with automated timers on 40-metre tracks, and cryotherapy (ice/heat) rehab. It also offers massage therapy, sports nutrition, ball and rubber balancing, and psychological counselling, with over ten staff members taking on different roles.
Around 25 athletes train here daily in disciplines ranging from fencing and kite surfing to javelin and pole vault, apart from sprint.
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"For pole vault, the initial run and body posture are key. In this centre, the real-time camera helps with identifying delays in the initial thrust. The coach here helps me correct it," said Rosy, who trains here every evening at 4 pm. She also receives strength training and cardio here.
As it is located right in the Nehru Stadium, athletes can stay in the hostel to train whenever they want.
Nineteen-year-old P Aravindhan, who participated in the World Fencing Championship, said he is training here to recover from a knee injury.
"They do cryotherapy, generating ice through the machine. Apart from this, balancing training and rope strength training are also done. The facility helps in overall improvement," he said.
The centre is free for international, national, and state event athletes who are in the high-performance category. The rest need to pay up to Rs 5,000 for 10 sessions.
Saju Joseph, manager of the centre, said recovery is an important factor in sports, apart from training.
"We study injury patterns and provide not just corrective treatment but also identify the cause. If athletes are wrong in posture, it could hurt a certain muscle. Hence, we correct the posture," he said, adding that injury recovery involves massage training. "We have psychologists to understand why some athletes have a delay in initial thrust during a sprint when the gun shoots, and relieve related anxiety," he said.
In this centre, nutritionists also provide food suggestions to help athletes reduce carbs and improve protein intake. "TN athletes at home naturally consume idly, dosa, poori, or pongal as breakfast. This doesn't have any protein. We recommend small changes with the addition of chickpeas, soya, chicken, egg, and beef, which could increase protein intake and strength. We also follow it up in this centre every day when they come," said J Lavanya, sports nutritionist at the centre.
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