Coach Kashinath Naik plays a major role in Neeraj Chopras win

The coach hails from Sirsi, a town, in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. The State Sports and Youth Empowerment Minister K C Narayana Gowda, in a statement, said the State has a role in Neeraj Chopra winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics.

Chopra always held his coaches in high esteem, starting from Jaiveer Choudhary, who spotted him, to Dr. Klaus Bartonietz, who helped him during the last two years. Among those who contributed to his all-around development are two Indians, Jaiveer and Kashinath Naik, besides Australian Gary Calvert and German legend Uwe Hohn.

The Karnataka government on Sunday announced Rs 10 lakh as a token of appreciation to Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra’s coach Kashinath Naik. The State Sports and Youth Empowerment Minister K C Narayana Gowda, in a statement, said the State has a role in Neeraj Chopra winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kashinath Naik had won a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games in 2010, Gowda said. “An achiever himself, Kashinath trained Chopra to win the gold and make the nation proud. In view of his achievement, the Sports and Youth Empowerment Department announces the cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for the coach,” he said.