Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu was 18 (2013) when she first met coach Vijay Sharma at a junior camp in Patiala. A year later, they began training together. Today, after an Olympic silver and three Commonwealth Games golds, Chanu says she is still his student first. “Behind all these medals, fame and love, the one thing that can never change is that main aaj bhi sabse pehle apne Vijay sir ki student hun… No matter how successful I become, I will always be my sir’s Mira and never Mirabai Chanu,” says the 32-year-old.
For her, the bond goes beyond sport. “Main apne sir ki favourite student banna chahti hoon. I think I am quite up in that list already” she laughs, adding, “Be it a mistake, a personal thought, nothing related to weightlifting I can go up to him for anything in life and he listens to me. A lot of times when the other students want to say something to him and are hesitant they will follow me and tag along with me thinking ki Mira ki toh sir sunnenge hi. Mere parents zaroor hain lekin Vijay sir mere liye second papa jaise hain. He is family.”
The biggest lesson she has learnt from him is to stay calm. “Sir always tells me, ‘Mira Relax.. Mira calm down’. Kabhi kabhi training mein frustration mein hoti hun, gussa hoti hun then I just remind myself that sir ne sikhaya hai to stay calm. He has taught me to never make decisions in anger and always remind my self that I started weightlifting as a kid because I enjoyed it and that always ground me. I have never met a coach like him. He understands that each of his students is different in mentality, strength, life experiences, upbringing and woh bas samajh jaate hai ki kismein kya kabiliyat hai aur kahan improvement ki zaroorat. The day I start training young students, this is what I would like to pass on to them as their teacher.”
Woh meri beti pehle hai fir student: Coach Vijay Sharma
India won a total of eight weightlifting medals at the recent Commonwealth Games under chief national weightlifting coach and Dronacharya Awardee Vijay Sharma since 2014. The brightest of his star students is Mirabai Chanu. But Vijay shares that the success of the duo is not only about how they train, “It is the bond that I have with Mira outside that is the biggest reason behind our success. Woh meri beti pehle hai fir student. Today she is an Olympic medalist but that changes nothing. She is still what she was for me on Day 1.”
To be the teacher of an elite athlete requires more than just working on their skills. How has training Mirabai changed for him from when they first started to now? “As a coach, my role is to always make sure that the hunger never lessens. For instance, our dream is for Mira to win a medal at the Asian Games, which is yet to happen. So, at the time of the CWG, I told her this: we are very close to making history, win a gold here and then take that hunger to win more to the Asian Games, use it as a ladder. The next target is always set, so my student can never think that ab yeh achieve hogaya, ab rest karlun. At the same time I have to improve my self and only then can I expect my student to improve.”
Though he has taught her everything, what is something Vijay has learnt from his student? He shares, “Dedication and discipline. This is what I have learnt from Mira. Agar aapko koi cheez achieve karni hai aur app mein Mira jaisa dedication hai toh aapko koi nahi rok sakta,”
Having achieved so many laurels together, Vijay shares the one moment that stays with him, “Olympic medal jeetne ke ekdum baad, backstage mujhe Mira ne ek cheez kahi jo mujhe kabhi nahi bhulegi, ‘Sir, bas aaj mil gaya jo aapne chaaha tha,’
