Hyderabad: While gymnast Budda Aruna Reddy raises hopes of an Indian medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games her coach N. Brij Kishore lost his battle against stomach cancer on Thursday morning. He was 50 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Kishore breathed his last at the Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute, where he was undergoing treatment. He was cremated the same evening.
Brij Kishore joined the State Sports Authority in 1993 as a coach and produced many national and international players, the most notable of them being Aruna Reddy, who became the first Indian ever to win a medal at the gymnastics World Cup, earlier this year.
The Olympic Association of Telangana paid homage to the departed coach and offered condolences to the bereaved family members. OAT president K. Ranga Rao and secretary S. R. Prem Raj spoke about Brij Kishore’s sincere dedication/determination in producing national and international gymansts.
Telangana gymnastics secretary K. Maheshwar, K. Pani Rao and Bheemsingh (badminton and hockey officials) too were present at the condolence meeting.
Athletics coach Nagapuri Ramesh, who has churned out international athletes, expressed words of comfort. “Art never dies. Brij Kishore lives through skills of the gymnasts he has trained,” Ramesh, a Dronacharya Award winning coach who is currently training sprinter Duteee Chand, said.
