A coach par excellence

In renowned athletic coach O M Nambiar's demise the nation and the world of athletics has lost a legend who with his Midas touch changed a little girl into a golden star and also transformed the life's of so many athletes who sprinted, under his coaching, to achieve gold on the global tracks.

It sure must be destiny that penned the life of OM Nambiar to spot a little girl during a selection trial , in the late 1970s ,for the Kannur sports division that changed the life of not only the coach, but the life of a small town girl and the destiny of Indian athletic history.

Coach OM Nambiar's name is definitely synonymous with PT Usha, the little girl whom he spotted and changed her into India's greatest ever athlete. The incredible teacher-student relationship which kicked-off in 1976 witnessed the creation of the golden era of Indian athletics.

From 1983 to 1998, the golden girl won an astonishing 23 medals at the Asian Championships, including 14 gold and six silver. She also won five golds and a bronze at the 1985 Asian meet in Jakarta even creating records. If a small town girl became one of India's leading athlete of the 1980s and later became an inspiration for many to showcase their sprinting prowess by hitting the tracks the credit goes to this great coach. One of India's most famous coaches our nation has ever seen, Nambiar was one of the first recipient of the prestigious Dronacharya award and also the famous Padmasree award for his outstanding contributions to sports .

Under his guidance, Usha won medals at the national, Asian and global level. He was also the person to make Usha reach the finals of the 400m hurdles ,an event unforgettable for all Indians , in which the golden girl missed the Olympic bronze by one hundredth of a second. This however was an inspiration for many youngsters in India to take up athletics . A few days before his death Usha had paid a visit to see her ailing coach and convey the news of a young Neeraj Chopra winning an Olympic gold in Javelin purely showing the dedication and love they have for athletics. Besides PT Usha Nambiar also coached so many others who later became national and Asian stars in the field of athletics. Some of the international medal-winning athletes being Shiny Wilson and Vandana Rao and also so many others who were the golden master's golden disciples. The name of O M Nambiar will always remain synonymous when it comes to Indian athletics and it's achievements.

— M Pradyu, Kannur