TamilPT Usha’s coach Nambiar passes away
20 August 2021, 12:33 pm
O.M. Nambiar, the coach who trained and guided legendary sprinter P.T. Usha to international glory, died on Thursday, aged 89.
Hailing from Vadakara in Kozhikode district in Kerala, Nambiar, who started his career with the Air Force, took over Usha when she was very young and helped her achieve some of her greatest performances including the fourth-place finish in 400m hurdles at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Usha was one of the first to pay tributes to Nambiar.
The passing of my guru, my coach, my guiding light is going to leave a void that can never be filled. Words cannot express his contribution to my life. Anguished by the grief. Will miss you OM Nambiar sir. RIP, she tweeted along with a collage of her photographs with her coach.
Nambiar, an athlete who could not make it big at the national and international circuit, took to coaching early in his life and discovered a gem in Usha, who turned out to be the greatest athlete the country has ever produced.
It was Nambiar, who advised Usha to take up 400m hurdles a few months before the 1984 Olympics as he thought she had a good chance of winning an Olympic medal. His vision and dream nearly came true as Usha missed a bronze medal by a whisker.
0
0