This weightlifting coach shows no signs of stopping

Often an individual finds routine boring after retirement. But for 65-year-old weightlifting coach Govind Prasad Sharma, it’s been a wonderful journey over the past 22 years and he is not stopping yet.

One can spot Sharma in and around Lucknow’s KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium every morning at the famous Gupta tea shop after finishing a three-hour training stint with 50 young lifters, including 25 girls, at Sports Authority of India’s regional centre, almost 15km away from the Hazratganj area. In the evening he trains them for three hours more.

“I wake up with energy and excitement. My real excitement starts with the training of the young kids in the weightlifting hall. Yes, I miss coaching on Sundays but keep teaching my trainees on the phone,” said Sharma, who has produced at least 125 international medallists, including Olympian Sonia Chanu and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Renu Bala Chanu.

Sharma has been hired by the Sports Authority of India for the second time over the past 16 months since retiring in 2017. Nine of his trainees at SAI’s national centre of excellence bagged 10 medals, including two gold, five silver and three bronzes, in youth and junior categories at the recently held national championship in Bhubaneswar.

Three among the medal winners managed to create six national records. M Manita Devi in the 81+ kg weight category not only won gold in the youth category but created three national records, in snatch and clean and jerk with a total lift of 147 kg. Anjali Patel’s total lift of 147 kg fetched gold in the 45 kg weight category and set up two national records in snatch (67 kg). In the 49kg category, Nilam Patel, too, finished with a national record in snatch with a 67 kg lift.

Two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Poonam Yadav, Swati Singh, Vandana Gupta and many more have been Sharma’s trainees. Sharma recruited many such talented lifters from Varanasi, especially from the Yadav community.

“Once I had 15 girls from Varanasi out of 25 women lifters at Sports College’s Centre between 2000 and 2019 and many of them were from Yadav community. Most of them finished either with international medals or national medals. There are still five girls at SAI’s NCOE from Varanasi,” said Sharma.

He said Sonia Chanu’s effort at the 2012 London Olympics remains the happiest moment of his life. “It was a great moment in my coaching career when Chanu made it to the 2012 Games. Chanu, a gold medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, finished seventh in London. She was one of the best lifters at the Lucknow centre and went on to win her second gold at the 2010 CWG in New Delhi.”

On his own career in sport, Sharma said he had a special dream. “After finishing with a bronze medal at the 1979 National Games in Hyderabad, I wanted to win a medal in international championships, especially at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. But a shoulder dislocation while training in my hometown Mathura dashed my hopes. After the 1982 Asian Games, I decided to opt for coaching and went to Patiala to complete my NIS degree.

“I was sure of getting a call to re-start coaching at SAI Lucknow even after my retirement in 2017. I worked for six months in my first stint in 2021 and 10 of my trainees won medals at the nationals. I got the second chance again this February,” he said.

“Efforts by SAI’s local authorities are on to give me a further extension as now the Lucknow centre is part of TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme). Let’s see what happens now.”

Sharma, however, said even if SAI doesn’t give an extension, he would continue to train young lifters for free.

“Coaching weightlifters is my lifeline. I am nothing without this. So even if they don’t pay me, I will continue offer my services to the young lifters here,” he said.

Besides the 10 medals won by his trainees at the nationals recently, Sharma’s latest achievement is that three of his trainees at the SAI centre here have been picked in the Indian squad for the IWF Junior World Championship, scheduled from May 2 to 20 at Heraklion, Crete (Greece).