Mayookha's coach not given Olympic clearance yet

Kozhikode: The coach of Mayookha Johny, India's star athlete who is competing at the London Olympics in triple jump, is yet to get clearance to accompany her to the games.

MD Johny, former body builder and father of Mayookha, said while other coaches got the clearance from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to travel along with their athletes, her daughter's coach Shyam Kumar was still waiting for the AFI approval.

Mayookha has been training in Frankfurt, Germany, for the last six months under the supervision of a foreign coach and Kumar," Johny told IANS.

Mayookha is India's lone participant at the event.

The athlete is leaving Germany for London Aug 1. If Kumar fails to get his papers in time then he will have to fly back to India.

Kumar, an employee of the Food Corporation of India, has been coaching Mayookha for the last two years.

"I am seeking Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's help to get the clearance for Kumar. Coaches play an important role in preparing athletes for the big day," Johny said.

Mayookha holds the national record of 14.11m in triple jump and is also the first Indian woman to cross the 14m mark.

Johny is waiting for his visa to travel to London to be with Mayookha - the eldest of the former body builder's three children.

"She liked to compete in long jump as well as triple jump. But three years ago, she was told to concentrate on triple jump," Johny added.

"She sounds very optimistic and confident," he said.

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