<p>Whenever the schedules of multi-discipline international events are put out, most Indian fans rush to find out the start date of the boxing competitions.<br /><br /></p>.<p>And not without reason. Indian boxers have been responsible for a plethora of medals at the international stage in the recent past. <br /><br />One of the main reasons for that has been India’s youth coach, G Manoharan, who was recommended for the Dronacharya Award on Monday, along with Jose Jacob, N Lingappa, Mahaveer Prasad and Gurcharan Singh Gogi. <br /><br />Speaking about his recognition with Deccan Herald, Manoharan, who was a quarterfinalist at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, said he was happy with the honour. “The coaches before me were giving the country bronze. I came into the youth set up in 2006 and I have been giving them silver and gold and I am delighted that I have been nominated,” he said. <br /><br />When asked why it took the panel so many years to recognise his abilities as a coach, Manoharan said, ‘I have no clue.’ <br /><br />“I know that the Indian Boxing Federation have been recommending my name for this award since 2006 but once it went to the (Sports) Ministry, I really didn’t know what happened.” <br /><br />When you ask him about some of the young boxers that he has trained – Vikas Kishan, Shiva Thapa, Devendro Singh – he appeared delighted. “They treat me like a teacher. “They listen to whatever I say and take it on board and I always pray to god that I get students like them.” <br /><br />India’s rise in boxing in the recent past has been well documented and Manoharan has his own theory about the continuous ascent. <br /><br />“The foundation is strong, it is better than what it used to be in the olden days. “At the youth level, there is more emphasis on coaching the kids – on teaching them various techniques and as a reason once the boxers graduate to the big time, they are more than capable of holding their own.” <br /><br />Manoharan, who coached Karnataka in 2005, though, isn’t prepared to rest on his laurels yet. He is one man whose punch is as heavy as his words.</p>
<p>Whenever the schedules of multi-discipline international events are put out, most Indian fans rush to find out the start date of the boxing competitions.<br /><br /></p>.<p>And not without reason. Indian boxers have been responsible for a plethora of medals at the international stage in the recent past. <br /><br />One of the main reasons for that has been India’s youth coach, G Manoharan, who was recommended for the Dronacharya Award on Monday, along with Jose Jacob, N Lingappa, Mahaveer Prasad and Gurcharan Singh Gogi. <br /><br />Speaking about his recognition with Deccan Herald, Manoharan, who was a quarterfinalist at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, said he was happy with the honour. “The coaches before me were giving the country bronze. I came into the youth set up in 2006 and I have been giving them silver and gold and I am delighted that I have been nominated,” he said. <br /><br />When asked why it took the panel so many years to recognise his abilities as a coach, Manoharan said, ‘I have no clue.’ <br /><br />“I know that the Indian Boxing Federation have been recommending my name for this award since 2006 but once it went to the (Sports) Ministry, I really didn’t know what happened.” <br /><br />When you ask him about some of the young boxers that he has trained – Vikas Kishan, Shiva Thapa, Devendro Singh – he appeared delighted. “They treat me like a teacher. “They listen to whatever I say and take it on board and I always pray to god that I get students like them.” <br /><br />India’s rise in boxing in the recent past has been well documented and Manoharan has his own theory about the continuous ascent. <br /><br />“The foundation is strong, it is better than what it used to be in the olden days. “At the youth level, there is more emphasis on coaching the kids – on teaching them various techniques and as a reason once the boxers graduate to the big time, they are more than capable of holding their own.” <br /><br />Manoharan, who coached Karnataka in 2005, though, isn’t prepared to rest on his laurels yet. He is one man whose punch is as heavy as his words.</p>
