New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Wing Commander (retd) P.K. Mahanand, a multifaceted sports personality, died here Sunday morning. He was 73. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Mahanand, who had been ailing for some time, breathed his last at the Army Hospital R&R.
A national weightlifter of repute, Mahanand had served Indian sport in various capacities, as an administrator, government observer coach, trainer, sports writer and radio and TV commentator.
He had been a vehement crusader against doping in weightlifting.
One of the most celebrated weightlifters of the country, Kunjurani Devi, is one of his trainees.
A university merit scholar at Nizam College, Hyderabad, Mahanand, at 19, became the youngest weightlifter to hold a national record.
He represented India at the World Weightlifting Championships in 1957 and after joining the Indian Air Force, he coached IAF weightlifters, who won 15 national titles and held 20 national records.
He was also a Member of the International Association of Track and Field statisticians.
In athletics, he won the state championship in shot put and discus throw and captained Osmania University at the inter-university track and field championships.
He also authored the internationally acclaimed book ‘Great Asian Athletes.’
