Mirabai Chanu’s coach tipped for Dronacharya award
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu’s coach, Vijay Sharma, along with veteran cricket coach Tarak Sinha are amongst the seven recommended candidates to lift the Dronacharya award. Along with Sharma and Sinha, Clarence Lobo (Hockey), Jeevan Sharma (Judo), CA Kuttappa (Boxing) have also been included.
Multiple CWG medal winner, Mirabai Chanu, has been on the rise ever since her silver medal triumph at the 2014 Glasgow CWG. She followed that up with a brilliant gold medal at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships held in Anaheim, United States. The 24-year old took it one step further this year as she went on to clinch gold at the 2018 Gold Coast CWG in the 48 kg category.
After her consistent performances over the years, her coach - Vijay Sharma, along with seven other deserving candidates, has been recommended to be honored with the prestigious Dronacharya award. Along with Sharma, the other coaches nominated for the distinguished award are Tarak Shah (Cricket), Clarence Lobo (Hockey), Jeevan Sharma (Judo), CA Kuttappa (Boxing). Srinivasa Rao, father of Table Tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal, has also been recommended for the Dronacharya award.
The recipients are selected by a 10-member committee constituted by the Ministry of sports and are honoured to have done "outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled sportspersons to excel in international events" over a period of four years. The most recent recipients of the award are R. Gandhi (Athletics), Heera Nand Kataria (Kabaddi) coupled with G. S. S. V. Prasad (Badminton), Brij Bhushan Mohanty (Boxing), P. A. Raphel (Hockey), Sanjoy Chakraverty (Shooting), and Roshan Lal (Wrestling) who were honoured for their lifetime contribution in their respective categories.
For the Dhyan Chand Award, Bharat Chetri (hockey), Satya Dev Prasad (archery), Dadu Chowgule (wrestling) and Bobby Aloysius (athletics) have been recommended. Dhyan Chand award is presented to sportspersons for their lifetime achievements and contribution to sport during both their active career and post-retirement phase as well.