With a sophisticated track that captures every stride, advanced sports science laboratories, and a research kitchen for customized recipes, the Sports Authority of India’s Southern Centre has evolved into a world-class facility endorsed by athletes such as two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and top steeplechaser Avinash Sable. Formerly a modest training base, a cumulative investment exceeding Rs 140 crore by the sports ministry has led to a significant transformation of the centre over the last decade. For Sable, the national record-holder in the 3000m steeplechase, who first trained at the centre in 2017, the upgrades have brought noticeable improvements. “I came here for the first time in 2017 so from that time to today there have been a lot of changes. Earlier there was only one synthetic track but now there are two,” Sable told a select group of reporters. Sable spoke about the athletics smart track, which aids in collecting and analysing valuable data through embedded sensors. “…it can track all our activities. The recovery centre is new. I have trained in the USA etc as well and no facility has so many things together at one place. So I like training here. Whenever I’ve run a good race, I have trained here,” he said. Women’s steeplechase ace Parul Chaudhary, who has trained at the centre since 2016, has also witnessed this evolution firsthand. “I have been training here since 2016 and I have seen a lot of changes take place. Now we have two grounds, one sand track and advanced scientific infrastructure. Recovery, physiotherapy, biomechanics — everything has improved significantly,” she said. Spread over 80.2 acres, the centre features state-of-the-art labs for sports psychology and biomechanics, which help acquire data related to strength testing, muscle recovery, and injury prevention. Sindhu underwent isokinetic testing here on Thursday to assess strength in her knees, hips, and shoulders, and praised the centre’s meticulous approach. “I have come here a couple of times and SAI Bengaluru has always been very helpful and made sure everything was on point and everything was fulfilled. I’m here to test my strength levels and see how you can improve it more,” Sindhu said. “My father also used to come here when he was a volleyball player. Back then it was very different, a lot of improvement has taken place and I have heard that there will be much more improvement going forward.” Currently, the national camps for hockey, athletics, race walking, table tennis, volleyball, kabaddi, and water polo are held here. “Not just me but hockey players, Olympic medallists have been training here and also Neeraj (Chopra) has come here. Such centres are very important for athletes to make sure everything is on point,” Sindhu added. For India’s first World Championship medallist in athletics, former long jumper turned administrator Anju Bobby George, the evolution of the centre is a dream come true. “I was a SAI NCOE athlete 20 years back and I got India’s first World Championship medal training here. I know the changes that happened here as an athlete and as an administrator,” said the Athletics Federation of India vice-president. “Now we have multiple tracks, multiple infrastructure, recovery centres and that was my dream. Now this dream has come true and the athletes are utilising and enjoying the infrastructure,” she added. The centre has a research kitchen that continually experiments with new recipes. An in-house team crafted customised multi-grain cookies and energy bars comprising dry fruits, figs, and dates leading up to the Paris Olympics. Ahead of the Paralympic Games last year, the centre produced over 3,000 energy bars for the nation’s para-athletes. Catering to visually impaired athletes, the nutrition experts have also developed personalised audio diet plans to provide guidance. In addition to hosting, the centre also plays a key coordinating role for National Camps held at various elite sports academies across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. With PTI Inputs.