The Hindu : Sport : A prolific coach gets his due

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007
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Sport - Sports : General

A prolific coach gets his due

M.R. Praveen Chandran

— File Photo: K. Ananthan

Raju Paul.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For long, he was known as the coach who uncovered the talent in K.M. Beenamol. Then, he guided St. George HSS, Kothamangalam, to a hat-trick of wins in the State Schools athletic meet. After ending the long reign of CKMHSS, Koruthode, Raju Paul established himself as the top athletic coach in Kerala.

The no-nonsense coach has been chosen for this year’s National Teacher’s Day award which is unprecedented in the history of the State as none before him has won this award.

For Raju Paul it couldn’t have come at a better time. His trainee Sini Jose has been selected for the World athletic championship. “Sini Jose was a below average athlete when I started coaching her. But I saw something unique in her and predicted that she would represent India in the Olympics. People laughed at me. But already she has won an Asian medal and has now been selected to represent India in the World championship in 2007. She will surely represent India in Olympics next year if she is fit. I am very happy for her and it makes the award even sweeter,” he said.

Raju Paul dedicated the award to the people of Kothamangalam. “I am indebted to the PTA (of St. George HSS), Old Boys Sports Association and to the people of Kothamangalam for this award. Without their dedication and hard work, St. George would have never become the champion school of the State. I just played a small role in making their dream come true,” he said.

“I would want one of my trainees, preferably someone from St. George HSS, to win a medal maybe in the 2012 or 2016 Olympics, it is my dream,” he said.

Lack of sponsorship

As St. George gears up for its title defence this year, the coach is worried about the lack of sponsorship for carrying on with the project.

“We are providing free education, coaching and hostel facilities for 97 athletes. We need nearly Rs. 11 lakhs a year to run the sports hostel. The support from the Government is minimal. Every year, it is a herculean task to find funds to run the hostel. If someone offers us a sponsorship of Rs. 50 lakhs, the interest alone would be sufficient to run the hostel. We are even ready to repay the amount after some time,” he said.

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