Mariyappan Thangavelu and Varun Bhati are toast of the nation thanks to their exploits at the Rio Paralympics, but the duo can't stop raving about their coach Satyanarayana who has been training them for the big event. "His tips on how to overcome mental obstacles and the positive vibes he provides has been a big plus," said Varun, bronze-medal winner in the men's high jump at the Paralympics.
BCCL
Satyanarayana, a former long distance-runner who also made a mark in the 1500m and 5000m events for Karnataka and on national scene, felt the efforts put in by Mariyappan and Varun paid off. "They aren't ranked in the top-3 of the world for nothing. Mariyappan (World No. 1) and Varun (World No. 3) were India's best medal prospects at this event and they have done justice to that," Satyanarayana told TOI over phone from Rio.
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Not only has Satyanarayana supported Mariyappan with his inputs on the field, the coach has also provided financial help for the athlete's family. "His (Mariappan) family hails from low-income group and I have done whatever I can to aid them. I understand what it means to come from such a background," said Satyanarayana, son of a flower seller. As a youngster, Satyanarayana would run from one shop to another to sell flowers in his hometown Shimoga. "Those days toughened me up, and I vowed to help as many as I could," said the 50-year-old. With regards to the preparation for the Paralympics, Satyanarayana revealed, "We reached Rio by August 15 as we wanted to get accustomed to the conditions. We were following the Rio Games on television."
BCCL
To keep his wards motivated, Satyanarayana made them watch movies. "We would often watch the Rocky series where Sylvester Stallone comes up trumps. The way Stallone overcomes adversities in that Hollywood flick kept Mariyappan and Varun in good spirits," said Satyanarayana.
If that wasn't enough, Satyanarayana made his wards watch the visually impaired women's long jumpers in action just ahead of their event on Friday. "We were at the stadium when the visually-impaired women's event was on. The focus and grace with which the women went about their business was extremely motivating for all of us," said Satyanarayana.
The coach felt the Indian Paralympics team has the potential to add a few more medals in the following days of the competition. "The javelin throwers and club throwers will definitely win medals for India," signed off Satyanarayana.?