NEW DELHI: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa’s childhood coach RB Ramesh, former national kabaddi team coach Edachery Bhaskaran and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist wrestler Ravi Dahiya’s mentor Lalit Kumar are among the names recommended for this year’s Dronacharya award, the country’s highest coaching honour.
Similarly, the names of former India hockey captain Vineet Kumar and veteran badminton coach Manjusha Kanwar, were on Tuesday proposed for the Dhyanchand award, which is given to sportspersons for their lifetime achievements and contribution to sport during both their active career and following retirement.
Ramesh is a GM who won the 2002 British and 2007 Commonwealth Championships. He has been credited for shaping the career of Praggnanandhaa, who became an International Master (IM) at the age of 10 and who finished runner-up in the Chess World Cup this year.
A 12-member committee, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice AM Khanwilkar, picked names in the two awards categories after a marathon meeting here.
The committee will recommend the names of athletes for the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna and Arjuna award on Tuesday.
Bhaskaran had coached both the men’s and women’s teams to gold medal finish at successive editions of the Asian Games in Guangzhou (2010) and Incheon (2014).
Lalit has coached Dahiya over the last decade at the Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi.
