New Delhi :
This is not the first appearance for Nihar Ameen and his swimmers at the Rashtrapati Bhawan for the Arjuna Award ceremony. But, this year is a bit more special for the 49-year-old coach who has been guiding Indian hopefuls for over a decade as two of his wards -Virdhawal Khande and Prasanta Karmakar – will be honoured on Monday at the Arjuna ceremony.
Ameen, who will be present for the felicitation, is delighted but says it’s a work in progress. “It’s an amazing feeling to be there and meet the President. Last time it was Abdul Kalam. The moment validates all the struggle and hard work we’ve done over the years,” Ameen told TOI on Sunday. “It especially means a lot as medals are won against all odds,” he added.
Khade ended a 24-year-old draught by winning a bronze at the Guangzhou Asian Games, while Karmakar created history with his bronze medals at 2010 Commonwealth Games and the Asiad in the disabled category.
Ameen, one of India’s best-known swimming guru, works like a one-man army. Besides being a coach, he also acts as manager and dietician to his pupils. He plans training sessions and arranges physiotherapy support for the swimmers. His passion for the job has seen him spend almost three decades as a coach.
Sandeep Sejwal and Khade, the first Indian swimmers to break into the top-100 of world rankings, have both had stints under him.However, Ameen’s foray into coaching was more due to a sudden family need than any planning. He had to turn coach when younger sister, Shanaz Shacoor, needed one after the 1982 Asian games. “I was just 20 and it was a panic situation for me. I was not sure if I could deliver,” he recalled. “Shanaz was the big talent in the family. I had to take over her coaching after the Asian Games. It was very difficult as I was not a trained coach,” he added.
But since then, there has been no looking back for the Ameen who has a Level 5 certification in coaching from the American Swim Coaches Association, a peak of sorts for swimming coaches. But Ameen recalled the struggle he had to wage in the early days. He was helped along by the workout diary maintained by Shanaz and some coaching tips from the German coach Bernd Johnke, who was assisting the Indian team ahead of the 1982 Asiad. “I used to observe Johnke and picked some tips from him that helped. And we started training at a public pool with no lanes,” he said.
Ameen runs his Dolphin Swim Team in a school at the outskirts of Bangalore. His wards won 46 medals at the recent junior Nationals in Bhopal , the latest affirmation of his worth.
India has never won a medal at the Olympics and there is no silver lining in the cloud either. However, Ameen wants to stay positive, saying Indian swimmers have the talent and can produce better results at the international level if the government provides adequate facilities. “Appropriate budget and proper support staff can take things to a different level,” he asserts.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports> Others / by Ritu Sejwal, TNN / August 29th, 2011