Rajendra Kumar Sharma is the former head coach of the Indian national cycling team. He came to public attention in 2022 after being accused by a female cyclist named Deborah Herold of indulging in a series of sexual misconduct.
Wiki/Biography
In 2008, Rajendra Kumar Sharma started his degree studies at Amity University and graduated from the university in 2012 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). In 2013, Rajendra Kumar Sharma obtained a 3-month Diploma in International Cycling Coaching from the International Cycling Union (UCI) in Switzerland. In the Diploma, he managed to obtain first class results. He said in an interview with the magazine,
At the end of the course, my instructor told me that my report was the best in his ratings. “
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Hair color: gray (semi-bald)
Eye color: dark brown
family
Parents and siblings
There is not much information about his parents or siblings.
wife
Rajendra Kumar Sharma is married.
Profession
In 1984, Rajendra Kumar Sharma joined the Indian Air Force. RK Sharma got into track cycling in 1985 when the coach of a tri-service cycling team spotted him riding his bike like crazy on the way to the office. RK Sharma remained a part of the team till 1998 and by then, he had won a total of 9 national medals. After leaving the team in 1998, RK Sharma was posted to Bangalore Air Force Station and during his posting in Bangalore, he completely lost touch with cycling. In 2006, when RK Sharma was posted to the Palam Air Force Base in New Delhi, he often participated in cycling events organized by the local cycling federation as a referee on weekends. He said in an interview with Sports Magazine,
During that time I started volunteering for the local cycling federation on the weekends. Around that time there were a lot of cycling road races going on and I was mainly there as a referee. “
In 2013, he decided to leave the Indian Air Force (IAF) to pursue a career as a cycling coach. He retired from the Indian Air Force and worked as a Human Resources (HR) Manager. He said in an interview,
As far as I know, it was the most prestigious program in the world and I couldn’t complete it while I was in the Air Force, so I had to retire. This sport is not like cricket, where money can be made. I knew that as a cycling instructor my monthly income would be cut in half. But I’m okay with that. “
After completing his diploma from UCI, Rajendra Kumar Sharma was called upon by Omkar Singh, the then President of Cycling Federation of India (CFI), who offered him the position of coach of the Indian Junior National Cycling Team, an offer that RK Sharma made recognized. As a coach, RK Sharma was entrusted with the training of the Indian Cycling Team for the upcoming 2013 Asian Cycling Championships, but RK Sharma faced resistance not only from other experienced coaches in the training camp but also from the Indian cyclists. of resistance. , they feel that their careers will be adversely affected under the training of RK Sharma. RK Sharma talked about this in an article and said:
No one is happy.Who is this Sharma?lucky? He has completed two months of the course and he wants to tell us what to do? Apna profession thodi kharab karna hai! Enough people are asking, “Who is this guy without a diploma from the National Intelligence Service, telling us how to do things.” It’s as if NIS is the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi! They don’t scare me. Since so much research has been done, why does India still have no results to report? I’m not from the National Intelligence Service. I come from a military background. I make decisions that are in the best interest of the country. This made me the bad guy, and even today many people consider me the most popular villain in the system. “
RK Sharma with Indian cyclists in international competition
After Rajendra Kumar Sharma boycotted, only four cyclists volunteered to train under him for the 2013 Asian Cycling Championships. Cyclists who trained under his guidance performed far better than cyclists trained by other experienced coaches at the same camp, so cyclists who left him began returning to him to train for upcoming championships. RK Sharma claimed in an interview,
I was only with them for two months, but in that time I completely changed their training program. Some players need to work on endurance, others need to work on strength. At the national competition, each of them won a gold medal with a national record. At the next national training camp, there was a large group of people who wanted to train with me. “
In 2014, Rajendra Kumar Sharma was appointed by the International Cycling Union (UCI) as the head coach of its World Cycling Center (WCC). In the same year, RK Sharma was appointed to coach the Indian team to participate in the 2014 Asian Cycling Championships in Kazakhstan.
RK Sharma competes in the 2014 Asian Cycling Championships in Kazakhstan
In 2015, RK Sharma observed that trained cyclists were not able to live up to the expectations of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI); therefore, he suggested that the CFI recruit only those candidates who did not have any cycling experience but should meet the minimum physical requirements of a cyclist. He said in an interview,
We’ve seen what those with a cycling background can do. Hume bus chingari de do, aag bana denge. But if we have been given a burning piece, it will only turn into ashes. “
In 2016, RK Sharma was appointed as the head coach of the national junior cycling team to compete in the 2016 Asian Athletics Cup. In the competition, the team, under the guidance of RK Sharma, won 3 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal with the Malaysian team in first place.
RK Sharma with 2016 Asian Athletics Cup Junior National Silver Medalist
RK Sharma with the Girls Junior Team at the Asian Athletics Cup 2016
RK Sharma was appointed as the head coach of the Olympic podium sprint cycling team by the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) in 2016 following the Indian Cycling Team’s stellar performance at the 2016 Athletics Asia Cup. RK Sharma said in an interview,
I was responsible for preparing the Indian cycling team for the Olympics. We didn’t have a good chance at the 2020 Olympics because my team was too young to compete at the senior level, and delays complicated things further. But their time will come and I have already started training them for the 2024 Olympics, when we will win the Indian Cycling medal and rewrite it in gold. “
In the same year, RK Sharma was appointed as the Chief Coach of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on the recommendation of the Indian Cycling Federation. In April 2017, RK Sharma and his well-trained cycling team participated in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Hong Kong.
RK Sharma standing outside the Hong Kong Velodrome
In September 2017, RK Sharma and his team participated in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Italy. In 2018, the national youth cycling team participated in the UCI Youth Track Cycling World Championships held in Switzerland. Under the guidance of RK Sharma, his team won India’s first silver medal in the cycling event MJ Keirin.
RK Sharma with Junior World Championship silver medalist in Switzerland
In 2019, the Indian cycling team not only set a new Asian record in cycling, but also won the MJ Team Sprint gold medal, the MJ Individual Sprint silver medal and the MJ Keirin bronze medal at the UCI Youth Track and Field Championships. The Cycling World Championships are held in Frankfurt, Germany. RK Sharma claimed in an interview,
This win was more than just a lucky day. There are no miracles in sports. We’re not shooting out of thin air. Our training is systematic and regular. Therefore, there is less discussion about bringing in foreign coaches. This win is definitely one of my best achievements. I am proud that India won its first cycling gold medal in a completely Indian running event. “
RK Sharma with the 2019 UCI Cycling Championships gold medalist
dispute
Sexual and physical harassment allegations against RK Sharma
In 2022, international cycling gold medalist Deborah Herold accused her head coach RK Sharma of indulging in a series of sexual and physical misconduct. In a complaint written to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Deborah Herold accused her coach of slapping her twice in front of everyone during a national training camp. She further accused him of forcing her to spend the night in the same room with him. She also said that during the 2022 Slovenian Track Cycling Championships, the coach often broke into her room and gave her a full body massage after training. Among the allegations leveled by Deborah, she alleged that coach RK Sharma threatened to ruin her career by kicking her out of the National Center of Excellence (NCOE) after she refused to comply with his demands. Deborah Herold also claimed that RK Sharma tried to harm her by writing a false report to the Indian Cycling Federation authorities accusing her of having a relationship with another female cyclist while training at the national training camp. image. Taking note of the situation, the Indian Cycling Team recalled the Indian Cycling Team, which trains and races in Slovenia. It also conducted a preliminary investigation into the allegations and SAI found that Deborah’s allegations against him as a coach were true and RK Sharma was relieved of his duties as head coach.
Facts/Trivia
- In 2013, Omkar Singh, then president of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), convinced RK Sharma to quit his job with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and pursue an International Cycling Coaching Diploma at the UCI.
- Rajendra Kumar Sharma has been opposed to hiring foreign coaches to train Indian cyclists, for which he has often fought with senior CFI authorities. He said in an interview,
In any case, a good foreign coach will never come to India to ride a bike. We are ranked 150th out of 195 countries. How can one be sure that in four years they can raise the standard of India from 150 to the top of all temples. They try it for three or four years at most, make some money, and then return to their respective countries. Foreign coaches won’t make any long-term changes. “
- Ever since the day RK Sharma joined the CFI, many experienced Indian cycling coaches were against him. In 2015, when he came up with a method that could guarantee India a medal in cycling, he was ridiculed and made fun of by his fellow coaches. Rajendra Kumar Sharma claimed in an interview,
Early next year, I made plans to win a medal for India in the 2015 Asian Championships. Everyone laughed at me… they didn’t even want to believe we could win a medal there. They didn’t even think about it. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education