Multiple coaches applying for the Dronacharya awards claiming to have trained the same player has become the norm. Chief national women’s boxing coach Md Ali Qamar and assistant coach Chhote Lal Yadav have listed Olympic bronze-medallist boxer MC Mary Kom’s performance as their achievement for the prestigious award.

Mahavir Singh has already got the Dronacharya for the six-time world champion boxer’s performance at the 2012 London Olympics.

Ali Qamar has also listed the names of 2018 world championship bronze medallist Simranjit Kaur Baath, last year’s worlds bronze medallists Lovlina Borgohain and Jamuna Boro and silver medallist Manju Rani’s among his achievements. The same set of players is also there in Yadav’s list of achievements.

Another assistant national coach, Sandhaya Gurung, has mentioned the achievements of Borgohain, Boro and Baath in her application for the country’s top coaching honour.

Similar overlaps are there in several sporting disciplines, where the achievements of the same set of players are claimed by different coaches.

“It becomes very difficult for a player to say ‘no’ to a coach with whom he or she has trained even for few months in the national camp. At times we have to give an undertaking to a number of coaches, and that’s why you see the performance of the same set of players being claimed by different coaches,” says an Asian Games boxing medallist on condition of anonymity.

Two-time Olympian and winner of multiple Asian and Commonwealth Games medals, boxer Vikas Krishan’s name is there in the application of coach Jagdip Hooda, while Dharmender Singh Yadav too is taking credit for his performance. Dharmender Yadav has also named boxing sensation Amit Panghal’s name in his application. In fact, Panghal’s coach in his formative years, Anil Dhankhar, has also applied for the Drona for the year 2019-20.

Two-time Commonwealth Games medallist boxer Manoj Kumar’s performance has been claimed by his brother-cum-coach Rajesh Kumar, while his name is also there in Dharmender Yadav’s application.

“Manoj started the sport under me and I am his coach since his formative days till now. I have applied for the Dronacharya for his achievements. I have no idea who else is claiming the award for his achievements,” says Kumar.

Wrestling coach Kuldeep Malik has claimed the award for ‘spotting’ the Phogat sisters – Babita and Vinesh, while OP Dahiya has listed Vinesh’s performance since 2017 in his application to the awards committee.

Two Indian Railway coaches, Sujeet Maan and Narender Kumar, are taking credit for 2018 Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Bajrang Punia’s performance, while Virender Kumar – coach at the Chhatrasal Stadium – is taking credit for two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar’s Commonwealth Games gold-medal performance.

Satpal Singh, Rampal Mann, Yashvir Singh and Raj Singh have already been conferred the Dronacharya at different times for Sushil’s bronze in Beijing and silver in London.

Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has been credited with shaping the careers of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, but MJ Mohanachandran Nair has listed Sindhu’s silver-medal performance in 2016 Rio in his application for the award. PU Bhaskar Babu too is claiming the award for Nehwal’s performance between 2006 and 2011.