Meet coach Harikrishnan, the man who guided Eldhose Paul & Abdulla Aboobacker to India’s historic CWG triple jump double

“Technically it was Abu’s worst jump of the event but distance-wise it was best. He was leaning sideways, he left his hands dangling, he had no control. In fact, an American coach asked me how did he even cross 17m with that attempt. But at that time it wasn’t about technique, it was about going all out and that is why I asked him to jump like a madman,” explains the Air Force and national triple jump coach.

This was just one of the countless occasions on which Harikrishnan has come up with something out of the box. On the field, it is not difficult to mistake him for an active senior athlete. The former long jumper, who has a personal best of 7.92m, hung up his spikes in 2016 and the very next year, enrolled in a coaching program at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

On paper, the 36-year old has just four years of coaching experience and has been part of the national camp set-up for just about a year-and-a-half. But that doesn’t do justice to his credentials. His trainees in Birmingham earned India its first 1-2 triple jump finish at the Commonwealth Games. Only six athletes from the country have ever breached the 17m mark, and three of them train under him. Aboobacker’s personal best of 17.19m is the second-best effort by an Indian.

Breaching 17m mark

“Before joining the Air Force in 2018, I had no idea about Hari sir. I had just heard he was a long jumper. I’ve worked with many coaches but Hari sir’s style is different. I have complete faith in him. He is the reason we three [him, Eldhose and Karthik Unnikrishnan] breached the 17m mark. If he weren’t there, we would have one of us doing 16.50m-plus and the rest barely above 16m throughout our careers,” says Aboobacker.

Men’s triple jump gold medalist Eldhose Paul, right, of India stands with silver medalist and compatriot Abdulla Aboobacker Narangolintevida, left, during the athletics in the Alexander Stadium at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. (AP)

Coach Harikrishnan says there’s no secret but just plain hard work behind the 17m revolution. “There is no magic but just plain hard work of the kids and my guidance. If you see all three of my students they have gradually progressed. It’s not like someone leapt from 16.20m to 17m directly (Aboobacker’s progression 2018 – 16.28m, 2019 – 16.67m, 2021 – 16.84m, 2022 – 17.19m). Hard work is the magic,” he says.

When Harikrishnan finished his coaching program in 2018, he took a sixty-day leave from service to prepare his own coaching manual. He had always had a habit of maintaining a diary even as an athlete. He noted down all the workouts he was given by coaches at the national camp. “I have trained under Russian and Cuban coaches too. I made notes every day. After my coaching course I just wanted to sit down and put in my ideas to develop a style that would work for Indian athletes,” he explained.

But the manual is just a rough guide. Harikrishnan designs a specific program for each of his athletes depending on their body structure and other parameters. When Eldhose joined him physically in 2021 he not only had to correct his technical flaws but also tailor a course that would help him cover his height (5’8”) deficiency.

“My running technique and my last phase of the jump were poor. Even a minor correction can help improve the performance massively and Hari sir took care of it. He saw my qualities and shortcomings and gave me specific workouts that have helped a lot,” says the Commonwealth champion Eldhose.

Harikrishnan keeps mentioning that his “special recipe” is one of the reasons his wards have done well. When nudged to share a few ingredients, he jokes: “a good chef never reveals his secrets”. The “special recipe” he talks about are his training sessions where he constantly adds an element of competition.

“Sir organises these tiny competitions like who will run the 30m fastest. Or whoever achieves the distance targets set by the coach gets rewarded. Whoever wins gets a special non-veg meal prepared by him. Sometimes whoever comes last has to promise to buy a meal the next time we go out. It definitely motivates us and makes training fun,” says Eldhose.

‘Unpaid assistant’

Harikrishnan admits he’s consumed by sports. Even after his coaching sessions get over he never really switches off. When Aswathy, a history professor, decided to tie the knot with Harikishnan, she knew what she was getting into.

Coach Harikrishnan’s wife Aswathy, a history professor, assists him during training.

“Oh, even at home all channels are sports. He keeps watching workout videos on Instagram. He is so passionate about it,” says Aswathy in a tone that signals admiration rather than disappointment.

Harikrishnan’s zeal was infectious. Aswathy, who has no background in sports, now rushes to the training ground after completing her college duties. She is now in charge of noting down timings and distances during training – a task for which she receives no remuneration.

“I didn’t know anything about sports but now I love it. I understand why my husband is so involved,” she says.

But the couple has had to make sacrifices as well. Ever since they got married a couple of years ago they haven’t been able to go on a long trip. Most outings have been around Bengaluru or competition venues where she tries to tag along with Harikrishnan.

“My parents have been calling me home in Kerala for a housewarming but I can’t go. I haven’t been home in over a year. I know if I go my students will miss training and I can’t let that happen,” he says.

Harikrishnan hardly loses his cool during training but even if he does, he never raises his voice. “I will keep quiet and my silence is the biggest punishment they can get,” he smiles. His wife and “unpaid assistant” confirms it: “Yes, he never yells.”

But Harikrishnan’s trainees also barely give him a chance to get upset. “My students are gems. Sometimes I feel they are too dedicated. On training offs they will just stay in their rooms and rest. I tell them to go out, watch a movie and just have a little fun. I am not just their coach, I am their elder brother, friend and family.”