"The food at the national camp didn't suit me" - Kiran Pahal explains the reason behind her dip in performance
Kiran Pahal achieved a remarkable feat at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships 2024. She breached the Olympic qualification mark on Thursday, June 27, when she ran 400m in 50.92 seconds in the semis.
It is worth noting that Pahal had secured an impressive 51.84 second in Karnal early in the 2022 season. She then dished out three sub-53 timings, thus putting all the attention on her.
However, the 2023 season saw a dip in her performance. She claimed that there weren't a lot of vegetarian food options at the camp during the season. The 23-year-old suffered from food poisoning, and it led to a drop in performance.
"There was a dip in my performance last season prior to my injury because the food at the national camp didn't suit me. I am a vegetarian, and there's not much food option for somebody like me at the national camp. Because of that, I had food poisoning during the competition, which led to several other issues," Kiran Pahal was quoted as saying by myKhel.
"Athletes need to learn that they have to stop cribbing" - AFI president responds to Kiran Pahal’s comments
Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of India president, Adille Sumariwalla has given a stern response to Kiran Pahal’s comments. He rubbished all such claims and supported his argument by citing the examples of other athletes who performed well in the 400m national camp.
"These are loose statements because there are other athletes in the 400m national camp in Trivandrum who have done exceptionally well for India today and recently," Sumariwalla told myKhel.
The AFI president advised the athletes not to make any false statements against the association. He further mentioned that they made all the necessary requirements for the athletes at the camp.
"Athletes need to learn that they have to stop cribbing and making all these statements," Sumariwalla added. "If you want to run away from the camp, then do that, but don't blame the government for it. The government is providing them with nutritionists and the best possible food."