Neeraj Chopra became the toast of the medal-starving nation on Saturday after clinching India's first ever gold medal in athletics, track and field to be precise. His path-breaking 87.58 throw at Tokyo Games also gave Bengle a nondescript village in Sirsi taluk, Uttara Kannada, a reason to rejoice.
Yes, Kashinath Naik, a native of Bengle, was among the formative year coaches for the golden boy Neeraj Chopra
Naik spotted young Neeraj's talent in Javelin and trained him for three years from 2015 to 2017 at the Indian Army facility at Patiala.
Coach Naik, himself a bronze medal winner in Javelin at 2010 Commonwealth Games, shared with DH his joy over his ward's Olympic success, training stint at Patiala and Chopra's gold medal winning throw at Tokyo.
"Neeraj Chopra has done India proud with a historic gold medal in track and field event. I take pride in the fact that I was his coach in his formative years. I polished his techniques of the grip, the run-up and the throw at Patiala," a beaming Naik told DH over the telephone call.
"Two months before leaving for Tokyo, Neeraj had visited me at Army Sports Institute in Pune. He had asked me for a few tips. Chopra also had a brief and fruitful training stint in Sweden ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. I knew he would finish on podium after qualifying for final. I am happy that he ended India's Olympic medal drought in athletics," Kashinath Naik said.
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