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The couplet perfectly describes the relationship between Virender Singh, 50, and his many disciples including Olympic-bound Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia. Singh has been coaching young wrestlers for almost two decades now and has given India many wrestlers. He has also coached wrestlers like Amit Dahiya — youngest wrestler to represent India at Olympics (2012) — Amit Dhankar — 2013 Asian Champion — amongst other. Recognising his contribution to Indian wrestling, the Wrestling Federation of India on Tuesday nominated him for this year’s Dronacharya award. “I am delighted that I have been nominated. WFI had called me to break the news”.
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Singh hails from a Hiranki village situated in New Delhi. His uncle was a wrestler and that is where he started building interest in the sport. A successful wrestler of his time, he has won junior nationals and international tournaments but eventually had to quit the sport due to a series of injuries. Singh then began coaching at the famed Chhatrasal Akhara in 2004. “I had represented India but then due to a neck injury which I got during practice, I had to quit wrestling. Then, I took up coaching and was officially appointed at the Chhatrasal Akhara by the Delhi government,” he told WrestlingTV.
Coaching Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia
Singh’s latest contribution to Indian wrestling are two world medallists Ravi Dahiya and Deepak Punia. Both the wrestlers have booked the Tokyo Olympic berth in 57kg and 86kg respectively. The 50-year-old coach believes the two have the potential to taste the Olympic glory next year given they practice right. “Both are very talented and hardworking. They possess great stamina and have the talent to win India an Olympic medal at Tokyo,” he said.
However, he added that both youngsters have a long way in terms of wrestling to become the best. “They have improved a lot in the past couple of years. But they still need to work on their attacking prowess to become a better wrestler. Both of them try to tire out wrestlers and in the process give away early points which prove detrimental in crucial matches like Ravi’s 2019 worlds semifinal bout”.
Singh keeps in regular touch with his disciples even during the lockdown and makes sure they keep training without fail. “Deepak calls me every day before and after practice to give the report of his fitness and training. As for Ravi, we are making him do free weight training for the time being as sparring is barred due to coronavirus,” he concluded.