PROUD MOMENT: Chief national rowing coach Ismail Baig seen at the Hussainsagar. Photo: Satish H.

HYDERABAD: Defying all odds and the stink of the polluted waters at the Hussainsagar, 40-year-old Ismail Baig, chief national rowing coach, has redefined the levels of commitment as a coach.

Therefore it came as no surprise, when he was named for the prestigious Dronacharya Award for his meritorious services in spotting and grooming rowing talent over the last 14 years. Interestingly he will be the youngest recipient of the award.

And Ismail has every reason to smile for he knows better than anyone else the adversity he faced not just on the waters but also off it, because of the frequent differences with Youth Hostel officials, which resulted in lack of proper boarding facilities for rowers. But like a true sportsperson, he chose to let his work speak. Incidentally, Ismail hails from a rural background and comes from Pittavani Palem of Chandole mandal in Guntur district. A national rower himself, Ismail won two gold medals and also represented India at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. "I am grateful to the entire rowing fraternity for its support all through, particularly C.P.S. Deo (secretary-general of RFI) and my family," says the modest coach.

Good show at SAF

The timing of the announcement of the big award could not have been better as he had just returned from the SAF Games in Colombo only on Tuesday where his rowers bagged seven gold medals.

He believes that the turning point in his coaching career was when he guided two juniors to silver medals in the Singapore Asian Championship in 2005 and followed it up with the best-ever performance in the Asian Senior Championship in Hyderabad with three gold, four silver and five bronze medals.

"These are the results which clearly lifted the morale of all those like Deo Sir who were putting their heart into a sport which never got its due," says Ismail.

C.P.S. Deo says Ismail is receptive, frank in judgement and has the ability to extract the best and keep the rowers' morale high. "I am overjoyed that such a deserving coach got the award," he said. By all means Ismail belongs to the rare breed of men who never crave for publicity but believe in producing the results despite rowing against the tide.

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