Ismail Baig was back in the waters of Hussain Sagar lake within three days after bringing back a rich medal haul from the Guangzhou Asian Games – one gold, three silver and a bronze. Reason? This unassuming and untiring 45-year-old gentleman was in the thick of preparations for the Junior national rowing championship which ended last Sunday.
Token of appreciation
So, when the irrepressible C.P.S. Deo, president of Rowing Federation of India, addressed his proud coach as ‘Ismail Saheb' in front of select gathering which included top officials from the Army the other day, it was only a token gesture of appreciation of the efforts of a truly outstanding coach, who's also a Dronacharya awardee.
It is obvious that rowing is one of the least popular sports, but that was not a deterrent for this indefatigable coach from Pitlavanipalem (Guntur) Ismail, to stay committed.
“The present results are the outcome of long years of struggle against adversity by our entire team including support staff. Only last year, we were literally thrown out of even the makeshift arrangement where we live on at the Youth Hostel. But, thanks to the efforts of our president (C.P.S. Deo) we managed to hang on,” recalls Ismail.
“I always believed in one thing – our job is to put in the efforts, produce the results and then let others take note of us rather than making noise at lack of facilities. And I must give credit for the wonderful spirit the entire rowing team has shown over the years,” explains the national coach who joined the preparatory camps since 2002.
What makes this affable coach stand out from the rest of the crowd is that he achieved the results which not many foreign coaches could have even dreamt of attractive perks. “I don't want to debate whether they deserve that money or not. But, we all (rowers) will be happy if we get the recognition due to us,” says the non-controversial Ismail.
Any dreams? “We have proved what we are capable in the recent Asian Games winning so many medals for the first time. Now, the focus shifts to London Olympics. It is good to hear that our star performer, Bajrang, is already talking about a medal in London. That is the spirit which we are all looking for in the months to come,” says the national coach. “There is always scope for improvement in any area – be it training, performances of the rowers or commitment levels. One thing which I can assure is that our rowers are determined to row against the tide and win medals in Olympics. That is the ultimate goal right now and we are already in the preparatory phase for that,” he concludes.
