'Babar Sahab' passes away

Popular athletics coach and Dronacharya award winner Mohammad Ilyas Babar passed away in Hyderabad on Tuesday after a brief illness.

He was 76. The funeral will be held on Wednesday.

'Babar Sahab', as he was known, had undergone surgery for stomach ulcers three days ago and was reportedly recovering, his family sources said.

The kurta-pyjama and kulah [white cap] clad -- not exactly the right attire for a sportsman -- Babar was a member of the national panel of coaches for the 1976 Olympics, 1978 and '82 Asian Games, and 1979 and '81 Asian Track and Field meets. Over the years, 17 of his wards, including Suraj Singh and Charles Borromeo, had won gold medals at the Asiad.

His most famous product, however, was Sriram Singh, who ran a brilliant 800 metres race at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games final. It was Sriram's killing pace which helped Cuban Alberto Juantorena shatter the then existing Olympic and World records.

The man with tough look but a kind heart had gone all the way to Montreal, his trip financed by friends and admirers as his name did not figure in the government-cleared list, just to encourage Sriram. After every race, Sriram would go to Babar for a review of his performance, and the Pakistani squad in the next block would wonder who this Mullah was as the great Indian athlete touched his feet.

In recognition of his services, he was honoured with the Dronacharya award in 1994.

At the 1978 Asian Games, he was presented the 'Adidas Golden Shoe' after being voted the best Asian coach.