“I have had back issues for 3 years. I am doing some exercises to recover as soon as possible. The lockdown gave me time to focus on my back issues. My aim is to get rid of my back problem immediately,” Satheesh said.
Apart from daily exercise and routine, the 28-year-old watches his medal-winning performances to motivate himself.
“I am doing my warm-up exercises in my room itself. I can’t go out and don’t want to take risks because of the pandemic. It is better to stay at home and remain fit,”
Satheesh had won a gold medal (77 kg) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and repeated the same feat in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, where he clinched another gold medal in the 77 kg category.
The 28-year-old weightlifter also urged his fans and countrymen to stay home.
'Olympic postponement is bad news for athletes who have qualified. Because they gave their all to make it to the Olympics. The Olympic's postponement will give more time to athletes to prepare. I also have more time to prepare for the Olympics,' he said.
'Please be safe and maintain social distancing. This is all I want to request my fans. We have to fight against COVID-19 together. This is spreading, and we have to tackle it carefully. I request everyone to stay motivated,' Satheesh signed off.
A few months back, rivaling was worried about his medal prospects in the Commonwealth Games and even in the Asian Games later in the year.
The weightlifter from Nellore in Tamil Nadu had hurt his quads badly while lifting 184 kg, his best effort ever, in the National Weightlifting Championships in Karnataka. “The injury was serious, and I had to undergo rigorous rehabilitation. Because of that, I could not prepare properly for Gold Coast and am actually not fully fit even now,” Satheesh said.
Having finished second in the snatch section after lifting one kilogram less than England’s Jack Oliver, Satheesh overcame the deficit by heaving 173 kg, a good six kilograms more than the Englishman for a total of 317 kg.
Though confident of his abilities after the snatch section, Satheesh had to spend a few anxious moments as Oliver made an attempt at 175 kg to overtake Satheesh.
Satheesh said he felt the absence of a physio inside the warm-up area more because with his struggles with injury. “There is not much support there, though the coaches are trying their best, but that is not the same as a physio doing that. I felt my legs loosen a bit, the back was loose because taping was not correct, but I managed to overcome,” said Satheesh who dedicated his medal to his coaches and parents.
He said he will be going into rehabilitation for the next few months before starting his preparations for the Asian Games in Indonesia. “Usually there is not a lot of time between Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. But this time there is, so I plan to use this period for proper rehabilitation. Of course, the ultimate aim is to win a medal in the Olympics in 2020” said Satheesh.
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