G Manoharan made him take the flight to Mexico and Nanao fetched India’s first ever gold in the championship. Manoharan gave India yet another gold medallist in Vikas Malik at the recent World Youth Championship at Baku, Azerbaijan, but the coach is miffed over the poor treatment given to him by the Sports Authority of India.
“I have been working with the team for the last seven years but the only time I got a raise was in 2009 when they hiked my monthly salary to Rs 15,000 from Rs 10,000. We have never thought of financial rewards but we need at least some kind of security. Our boys have always brought back results, whether it was at the Asian Youth Boxing or the World Youth Championship,” Manoharan told The Indian Express from Delhi.
The coach left the Army ten years ago and has been working with the junior national team for more than seven years. Staying with the team for more than eight months in a year and with his family based in Bangalore, it had been tough for Manoharan. “My elder daughter just cleared her final engineering exams and I had to take a loan for her education. SAI has never helped me and I don’t know whom to contact for our contract. My only focus is on training these young boxers. Ek Olympic medallist paida karne ke baad hi marunga (I will die only after producing an Olympic champion). I am not quitting, but I need some kind of security,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, as newly crowned world youth champion Vikas Krishan (60kg) and silver medallist Shiva Thapa (54kg) landed in Delhi on Wednesday, Nanao was all smiles. Nanao believes this experience will be vital for the boxers to make a smooth transition seniors transition.