The former India coach, Anita Chanu and Assistant Coach Sandeep Kumar were overjoyed as Mirabai Channu won silver for India in weightlifting at Tokyo Olympics.
Where Anita runs a weightlifting academy in Imphal, Sandeep Kumar is an Inspector of Punjab Police stationed at the Sports Centre of the Armed Police in Jalandhar.
Let’s know more about these two persons who played a significant role in Chanu’s historic performance.
After Mirabai became the first Indian weightlifter to win a silver medal in the Olympic Games on Saturday, her coach and former Indian weightlifter Anita Chanu said “she made whole India proud".
“I saw her performance right from the first lift. She looked very confident. I think the experience in Rio helped. Mirabai was not nervous at all and kept her concentration from the first lift to the last,” she added.
After her substandard performance in Rio Olympics, Mirabai Chanu was extremely nervous and wanted to quit the sport. But, thanks to Anita, she convinced her to not give up and supported her.
The former weightlifter, Anita Chanu competed at Beijing Asian Games in 1990. Presently she is running a weightlifting academy in Imphal, from where Mirabai Chanu started her career in weightlifting.
Also Read: Journey of ‘unbeaten’ Mirabai Chanu from Rio heartbreak to silver in Tokyo
“When I founded Anita Chanu Weightlifting Academy, I wanted to produce at least one lifter who would bring India an Olympic medal. Today, that dream has come true. Mirabai made us and the country proud,” Anita Chanu was quoted saying by Olympics.com.
Anita also received the Dhyan Chand award in 2010.
Assistant coach Sandeep Kumar was the one under whose guidance, Mirabai Chanu honed her skills to perfection thus bringing laurels for the country.
Today, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh congratulated Ms. Chanu and assistant coach Sandeep Kumar for this great achievement.
Notably, Assistant Coach Sandeep Kumar hails from village Bara in Jalandhar district and had participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics besides 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Qualalumpur (Malaysia) winning Bronze medal (69 Kg category) in the latter event. He is serving with the Punjab Police as Inspector and is at present posted at Sports Centre in PAP Jalandhar.