The 38-year-old, however, feels that the shooting federation should appoint coaches with good credentials and those who have faced challenging situations in some of the toughest competitions in the world. Published: July 23, 2024 6:27 PM IST By Olympic medallist shooter Vijay Kumar feels both the personal and national coaches play an equal role in the growth of an athlete as the debate over the role of the two continues to intensify with the Paris Games around the corner. Several Indian athletes have opted for personal coaches in Paris and Vijay feels there is nothing wrong with it and that due “weightage” should be give to them.
India’s medal hopeful in pistol shooting Manu Bhaker has opted for pistol legend Jaspal Rana as her coach in Paris, while rifle marksman Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar trains with former Olympian Joydeep Karmakar, though the veteran hasn’t accompanied his ward to the Games. Athletes in several other disciplines are also taking help of personal coaches as they eye Olympic dream. Vijay, who was a surprise medal-winner in the 2012 London when he stepped out of the shadow of the likes of Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang to clinch silver in rapid-fire pistol, said personal coaches should get due “weightage” as they have played a pivotal role in bringing up the athlete to this level.
“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 .