CHENNAI: CA Kuttappa knows how to win hearts. At a felicitation ceremony organised by Disha Sports Academy on Wednesday, the Mysuru native tried his best to address the crowd in Tamil, despite not being fluent.The Dronacharya awardee, who has coached boxers like Vijender Singh and Suranjoy Singh, believes in gaining the trust of athletes, quite like he did of those present at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. He listened to them and asked them to open up more so that he could help them better. “As a boxer, when I was in the national camp, I felt alone. I had no one to talk to. And I felt that these boxers should never face the same problem,” Kuttappa told Express.
After establishing himself as one of India’s most promising boxers, an injury in 2003 cut short his career. But he decided to take up coaching — a decision that changed his life.While he was not able to truly fulfil his potential as a pugilist, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) 2 star coach found solace in training youngsters. “When I started out, my only aim was to get a job and earn enough money to run the family. My father worked as a security guard and I had a brother who was jobless when I was growing up. I am thankful for the way things have turned out.”
While Vijender clinched bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Kuttappa had to wait for a long time for the country’s highest coaching honour. But he has no regrets. “I was made to fill the form for the award back then. But I knew seniors who did not get it yet. And I knew that I had very little chance,” he said.
After Vijender and Suranjoy, he is currently guiding the present crop including Shiva Thapa and Amit Panghal. The latter won gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta. And this time, there was no choice but to confer Kuttappa the prestigious award.
Having trained two generations of boxers under two great coaches — GS Sandhu who preferred the American style of boxing and Santiago Nieva who is more inclined towards the European style — Kuttappa feels there is no difference talent-wise. The only difference he sees is in the level of competition. “In 2008, we had modest hopes. In Tokyo, we will be disappointed if we don’t get one. But a lot depends on the kind of draw we get.”
CM gives away cash incentives to 3 Asiad medallists
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday presented cash incentives to three sportspersons who won medals at the Asian Games and their coaches. Athlete Arokia Rajiv received `60 lakh, squash player Sunayna Kuruvilla `30 lakh and tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran `20 lakh. In total, the players and coaches received `1.20 crore. On September 14, the CM had presented `4.21 crore to 12 sportspersons and 11 coaches.
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com
