Hamirpur: Anup Singh Rana, an eight-time national athlete and NIS (Patiala) coach, who was the fastest runner in the 200 meters for Himachal was forced to pick up shovel during coronavirus induced lockdown. Anup took up odd job for livelihood.
Before lockdown, he was working as a warden outside the same college from where he passed out as a BA graduate. The government has failed to provide employment. Anup represented the State University twice in the All India Inter-University Athletics competition in the year 1999, 2000.
He represented the state at the national level in athletics from 2001 to 2007. In the state level senior athletics held at Paddal ground in Mandi in the year 2004, Anoop Rana set the record by completing 100 meters in 10.9 seconds and 200 meters in 22.1 seconds. After 13 years, his student Sandeep Kumar broke his record in the 100 meter race in the year 2017. The 200-meter record is still intact with Anup Singh. Apart from this, Anup Rana was also named as the state’s best fast runner for three consecutive times from 2004 to 2006. Has won more than 70 medals from 1999 to 2007.
Anup Rana said, that he registered for the employment in the sports reservation quota in the sports department in 2006. Even after 14 years, he did not get a job. It is said that appointments were given to such trainers, who, after representing in district level sports, took only 42 days of training.
Anup Rana has trained hundreds of sports persons as a sports instructor in DAV Hamirpur, IIT Mandi and private universities of Punjab till now. Around 250 players have taken part in national level competitions from different states of the country. Even today, Anup Singh Rana is giving online training to the players located in different states of the country by taking time out in the morning and evening.