Indian Boxing's First Dronacharya Awardee Coach OP Bhardwaj Dies Battling Prolonged Illness

India's first Dronacharya awardee coach in boxing, OP Bhardwaj, died on Friday after battling prolonged illness and age-related issues.

India's first Dronacharya awardee coach in boxing, OP Bhardwaj, died on Friday after battling prolonged illness and age-related issues in New Delhi. He was 82 and had tragically lost his wife Santosh to ill-health about 10 days ago. Bhardwaj was bestowed the highest national honour in coaching jointly with Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (wrestling) and OM Nambiar (athletics), when it was introduced in 1985. "He had been unwell for many days with a lot of health issues and was hospitalised. Age was a factor and there was also the shock of losing his wife about 10 days back," T L Gupta, a close family friend and a former boxing coach, told PTI. Bhardwaj was India's national boxing coach from 1968 to 1989 and also served as a national selector. Under his tutelage, Indian pugilists won medals at the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the South Asian Games