Pre-SAISA:
This year, I decided I was going to do Track and Field properly. I hadn’t done it last year as after the swim season I had decided to take a small break from athletics and then decided to play basketball instead. In the beginning, my fitness was quite low as I hadn’t run for quite a while but as the weeks of consistent training went by I could feel it gradually improving. I’ve also decided to focus more on short to medium-distance events/training as I don’t quite enjoy running long distances as much anymore as I did last year, and with the increased workload of IB DP, I don’t feel I had the time to commit to extra endurance training outside school as I would have typically done if I were to focus on these longer distance events. The SAISA event in February will be hosted at the American Internationa School Chennai (AISC), I was selected for the team, and I hope to run three out of the following four events (I haven’t decided yet): 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 and meter dash and then long jump as my field event.
Post-SAISA
Overall, SAISA track was a fantastic experience. I competed in the 100m, 200m, and 400m dash events. Despite facing tough competition, especially compared to last year’s times, I didn’t perform as well as I had hoped individually, finishing fourth in both very close 400m and 800m races, missing out on first place by one and two seconds, respectively. In the relays, I competed in the 4x100m (where I ran second) and the 4x400m (where I anchored) for the 15 and over boys, securing first place in both races. A standout moment was the last 100 meters of the 4x400m, where I had to push hard to maintain our slim lead against TAISM’s fastest 400m runner, ultimately securing a tight victory at the finish line which was followed by the unparalleled excitement of team OSC as they rushed to the track and huddled around us. Overall, I was thrilled with our performance, as we emerged as the champions in our age group and the overall champions of the competition by a landslide, leading by over 50 points. The season concluded with unmatched excitement and I made many friends.
