Sailing past obstacles to script new chapter

It was India’s first title in this event and also the first from a men’s track event since Charles Borromeo’s 800M gold at the 1982 Asian Games. It might have surprised many but the 29-year-old from Mundakkayam in Kerala says he was confident of success, having worked hard for it over the years. A consistent performer on the national scene, Abraham looks back on his career as well as his route to glory in this interview. Excerpts:

Would you say this was one of your best races?

In a way yes, but the finish could have been better.  I was aiming to go under 49 seconds but the late start to the event and the cool weather meant I could not really go for a fast time. I ran a very controlled race but I hit the tenth hurdle and lost a bit of rhythm. Since the Japanese (Kenji Narisako, the defending champion) was in the outside lane, I could not see him coming. Then I felt a shadow looming, and I leaned forward to edge him out. It was certainly a tight finish and you can say that this is the biggest achievement of my life.

Did the build-up go according to plans?

Not really. At the start of the year, I hurt my ankle and it disrupted my off-season training. The Commonwealth Games was bad for me and it set me back. The heats were in the morning and I could not adjust. Luckily, I never felt dejected as I received plenty of support from friends. I did feel a bit sad, thinking that I had lost a certain medal but support from my friends and well-wishers – like Ramachandran and Lijo David Thottan (former international 400M runners) – helped me to keep my morale high.

You have been a consistent performer. But the Berlin World Championships last year must have been a big disappointment...

It certainly was. I had worked hard for it and after reaching the semifinals of my first World Championships (in Tokyo, 2007), I at least hoped to reach the final in Berlin. But the disqualification (for a technical infringement) was a big blow.  After that, with the help of my coach Rajinder Singh, I worked on my technique, ironing out the flaw that was causing the infringement, making sure I wasn’t side-hurdling. I changed my stride pattern – earlier, I was covering the first seven hurdles in 14 strides, now I do the first five in 14 strides and the next five in 15 strides – helping me to overcome the problem.

What has been the turning point in your career?

I would say it is the Doha Asian Games in 2006. It was my first major international competition. Of course I had competed in other meets but the Asian Games was an eye-opener. From then on, I started following other international athletes, and studying them closely, understanding their strong and weak points. I also make it a point to watch videos of top hurdlers so that I can learn something from them.  While that has helped me improve, I follow another routine before an event and that is watching my own videos – especially the 2007 World Championships race. That was the fourth time I had improved my national record and watching that gives me extra motivation to do better.

Has lack of height ever bothered you as a competitor, especially in this event?

Not really. In school (the famous Koruthodu school), we had to do all events and I used to compete in high jump and long jump early on besides 80M hurdles. Later, I graduated to 100M hurdles, 110M hurdles and 400M hurdles. After winning the 1998 school nationals in a record time, I decided to stick with 400M hurdles and lack of height has never been a problem. In fact, my favourite hurdler, American Bershawn Jackson, is slightly taller than me (169 cm) but he went on to become the world champion in 2005. We run in the same rhythm but the difference is, his best is 47.30 and mine is 49.51! But I do feel I have managed to nail the misconception that hurdles event is cut out for tall athletes only.

What are your plans for the future?

I want to take a break from competitions now. Doctors had advised surgery for my ankle but I haven’t decided on it. I want to get fully fit on that count before preparing for the major events in 2012.