Indian javelin throwers get KTG power ahead of Olympics

Olympic-bound javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh are set to step up their training with Kraft Training Gerät (KTG) that was installed at National Institute of Sports in Patiala on Friday. The KTG machine helps in improving strength and speed of javelin throwers.

"It is a German strength training device. The equipment allows a javelin thrower to develop strength for throwing. It will surely benefit Indian javelin throwers. They will start training on these machines under the supervision of foreign experts Uwe Hohn and biomechanics expert Dr Klaus Bartonietz associated with the Indian team," said chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair.

India is only the third nation to have acquired this machine, said Nair. 

"China and Germany are the other two nations who have this equipment.  The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) had been making efforts to procure the equipment from China since December 2020, but due to the outbreak of pandemic, the process got delayed," added the chief coach.

The equipment had arrived this week before being installed on Friday.

The KTG equipment allows athletes to throw along an ideal trajectory with little risk of injury.  According to the chief coach, the device sled weighs 3.8kg and can be loaded with as much as 10kg for a maximum weight of 13.8k. 

"The sled is thrown at maximum velocity, measured between two pre-set points," said Nair.

Bartonietz said the high release speed leads to the development of javelin-specific throwing power. 

"Lifting weights cannot do this. The equipment is only for senior athletes. And it should be under the supervision of a coach," explained Klaus.

The German star javelin thrower Johannes Vetter whose personal best is 97.76m also uses KTG during training.