Coronavirus: Ashwini Ponnappa, Manpreet Singh utilising forced break to get fitter

With the sporting activities either suspended or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes including badminton doubles specialist Ashwini Ponnappa are utilising the "free" time to work on their fitness and game. "The Covid 19 has definitely thrown everything off track. The first focus would be to stay healthy and be safe during this period. As we’ve travelled so much, I am not going out and mostly sticking to staying at home,” Ponnappa, a ‘Red Bull’ athlete, was quoted as saying in a statement issued on 19 March. Ponnappa, a two-time Olympian, is working on her finger power and would be doing racket drills in this period. "In this day and age doing fitness at home to stay fit is possible. So definitely going to be doing exercises using loop bands and therabands and racket drills at home to stay fit and work on some finger power until we can get back on court,” she added.

Likewise, India’s hockey skipper Manpreet Singh is also focusing on his training in the Olympic year. "We're all very much aware of the current situation, but the important thing for us is to concentrate on what's to be done right. We've all been briefed by doctors and our support staff in the best way possible, and currently we're in the middle of our training camp, where we are undergoing training as usual," said the 27-year-old Jalandhar-born player. "Being an important phase in our preparations for the Olympics, we are not looking at the things which are not in our control, the only thing that is in our control is to train well, and make sure we're following all the instructions," he added.

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