Former national boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu recommends Manoj Kumar's trainer for Dronacharya Award

NEW DELHI: Former national boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu has recommended two-time Commonwealth Games medal-winner Manoj Kumar's personal coach Rajesh Kumar Rajound for the Dronacharya award for a second successive year.

Being a former awardee himself, Sandhu is entitled to recommend names for the national sports awards.

The 38-year-old Rajound, an AIBA 2-star coach, has played a key role in shaping Olympian and Arjuna awardee Manoj's career.

He also happens to be Manoj's elder brother.

Rajound's nomination is also being backed by Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender Singh and other accomplished international campaigners like Sumit Sangwan and Dinesh Sangwan among others.

He also steered Kurukshetra University to the top position in the Khelo India University Games' boxing competition.

"I understand that the achievements of Rajesh Kumar as a boxing coach are more than enough to recommend him for the prestigious Dronacharya award in the category of boxing coach," Sandhu stated in his letter to sports minister Kiren Rijiju.

He had made a similar recommendation last year but Rajound did not get the award.

Manoj, who is also a former Asian Championships medallist, said his brother deserves the national recognition.

The national sports awards are given away on August 29 every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.