VELLORE: If you go for a jog at the break of dawn in Coimbatore, you are unlikely to miss a 63-year-old completing his morning run. R M Narayanan, a retired LIC employee from Ram Nagar, declined promotion offers in the last 20 years and decided to stay put in his hometown. His aim: to coach aspiring athletes in shot put, javelin-throw and discus throw, among others, for free. He has trained over 1,000 athletes since 1989.
“The money I earned while working and the pension I get is enough to support my family,” he says.
At 63, he does not feel his age.
“I maintain a healthy body to continue teaching my students. Even now, I run for 5 km every day,” he says. Narayanan received the award for the best coach of Tamil Nadu (2017–2018) from the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in 2021 for the numerous achievements facilitated by his training.
He has trained four international athletes and eight gold medal-winning national-level athletes.
“Most people think that anything that comes for free is not valued. I wanted to show the best of me through my students, who are breaking records, and prove that such endeavours are driven by passion to serve society,” he says.
Narayanan has been interested in sports since his school days.
“Playing was a more comfortable zone for me than sitting and studying at one place for hours,” he says.
He joined a government coaching centre for athletics in 1976, where he was provided with free training. He participated in various events at state and national level, which include javelin throw, discus throw and 400 m hurdle, among others. As time passed, he got a job a few years after his graduation in 1986. Since his retirement in 2021, he has dedicated his time to training the athletes.
“Though I could not pursue a career in sports, I had enough knowledge and decided to train athletes for free, and began coaching in 1989,” he says. Talking about his selection criteria, he says, “I only accept those who are interested in the game and are committed to physical fitness.”
For the past 35 years, he has been dedicating six hours of his life every day to coaching. Three years ago, he started providing training to even para athletes for throw events. “There is a difference in training regular and para-athletes. I have to give extra time to train the para-athletes to help them achieve their dreams,” he explains.
Narayanan not only provides training to para students, but also extends extra care to assist those in need and fulfils their financial requirements to make sure that they practice properly.
Keerthika J (26), a paralympic athlete trained by Narayanan, said, “My search for a good coach ended when I met Narayanan sir two years ago. He not only provides free coaching for us, but also helps us secure sponsorships to meet our financial needs. For example, he found a sponsor for my gym fees, which goes up to Rs 30,000 per year.”“Muthuraj, one of my fellow players, didn’t have a proper bike, which made it difficult for him to attend practice sessions regularly. He arranged a bike for him,” she adds.
“There are relatively fewer coaches willing to train para-athletes because of the extra time required for them. But coaches should step forward and provide training for them, as we could see more dedication and willingness in them than in the regular athletes,” he adds.
At present, Narayanan utilises the para-sports office ground for the practice sessions of para-athletes and the Coimbatore Institute of Technology’s playground for regular students. He requests the government to grant permission to him to use either the Nehru Stadium or the Jail ground for training the athletes.
(Edited by Ashutosh Acharya)