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Aristotle Comedian Username: Aristotle Post Number: 1524 Registered: 01-2013 Posted From: 167.230.96.8 Rating: N/A |
As cricketer and schoolmate V.V.S. Laxman said, “He sets new benchmarks as a coach that are difficult for others to follow.” | ||
Aristotle Comedian Username: Aristotle Post Number: 1523 Registered: 01-2013 Posted From: 167.230.96.8 Rating: N/A |
It’s never easy to handle champions like Saina or Sindhu, especially after their evolution from raw talent, but Gopi has been lucky with his students. “Fortunately, the cultural perspective prevalent in India ensures there is still some respect for the teachers.” | ||
Aristotle Comedian Username: Aristotle Post Number: 1522 Registered: 01-2013 Posted From: 167.230.96.8 Rating: N/A |
Gopi’s formidable bouquet of awards—Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award—add to his invincible aura. And he is practical about their importance. “Some people don’t even recognise the All England title triumph while some recognise you because you are a Padma Bhushan. The awards are equally important in terms of recognition from different strata of society,” he says. The best of the achievers have regrets and Gopi’s is to have missed going to university. “I always dreamt of doing research in sports. But, somehow because of the sport’s demanding schedules, I couldn’t realise that dream,” he says, faintly wistful. But life compensated amply. | ||
Aristotle Comedian Username: Aristotle Post Number: 1521 Registered: 01-2013 Posted From: 167.230.96.8 Rating: N/A |
I must say I am fortunate to have someone like Lakshmi (P.V.V. Lakshmi, two-time national women’s singles champion) as my life partner. But for her, there is no way I could have spent so much time coaching, travelling and attending all the meetings. She understands the demands and makes things comfortable for me. Gopi’s children, Gayathri and Sai Vishnu, play badminton and his daughter has already won a couple of under-17 national titles. “Yes, my kids playing badminton is a huge plus. If they were keen on some other sport, perhaps as parents we would have been under a different kind of pressure in terms of travel, attention, education. We are lucky to see them every day and evaluate what exactly they are doing,” he says. And is it hard to double up as coach and parent? “They are like any other trainees. There is no way they are pampered. Remember, in sports you don’t always keep winning. They have to learn it the hard way and I am glad they are enjoying the sport right now,” he says. http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/its-been-a-dream- journey-so-far/article19377246.ece?homepage=true Hindu Sunday Magazine vachai |