NEW DELHI: Olympic medallist in shooting Vijay Kumar believes both national and personal coaches have an equal impact on an athlete's development, despite the ongoing controversy about their respective roles as the Paris Games draw near. According to Vijay, there is nothing wrong with the decision made by a number of Indian sportsmen to hire personal trainers in Paris, and they should be given the appropriate "weightage". India's pistol-shooting medal contender Manu Bhaker has chosen to practice with pistol icon Jaspal Rana in Paris, while rifle marksman Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar receives training from former Olympian Joydeep Karmakar, even though the veteran hasn't traveled with his ward to the Games.
Athletes pursuing Olympic dreams in several other disciplines are also receiving guidance from personal coaches. In 2012, Vijay emerged as a surprising medal winner in the rapid-fire pistol event in London, surpassing the likes of Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang. He stated that personal coaches ought to be given the credit they deserve, as they have been instrumental in elevating the athlete to this caliber.
"Well, it's a complicated issue. Personal coaches should also get due weightage. Suppose I become a national coach some day, the shooter who comes to me, he would have been trained by someone to come up to that level by a personal coach," Vijay, an ex-serviceman now serving as DSP with Himachal Police, told PTI.
"So, the contribution of both the coaches is equal. The nati.