Lakshmanan, a havildar in the Army, "always wanted to run and was a hard worker, which is paying dividends now," Loganathan told PTI from Pudukottai.
The 27-year-old from Sokkurani village in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu came under the wings of Loganathan at the age of 16, after losing his father and has since been looked after by him like a son.
"The win (for Lakshmanan) in the Asian Championship is great news for me. It has been made possible because of the years of hard work work he has put in," he said of his ward's triumph on Thursday with a time of 14 minutes, 54.48 seconds.
The victory also ensured him a place in the World Championships to be held in London next month.
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Incidentally, L Suriya, who is Loganathan's daughter and whom Lakshmanan calls as "sister" finished fourth in the corresponding women's race.
"The role played by his (Lakshmanan's) mother - G Jayalakshmi, a daily wage labourer, by supporting him can't be forgotten. She brought up three children after losing her husband. Though she didn't know much about athletics, she backed him."
"He had a great interest for running and braved the elements to practise without proper footwear on the road. All he wanted to do was to run," the coach added.
"When he came to me and wanted to join the camp he was 16 or 17. I saw that he had the desire to succeed. No praise will be enough for Sekaran, who has been sponsoring a lot of champions and Lakshmanan is one of the beneficiaries," the Pudukottai-based coach said.
"He still works with me during the off-season and I pass on whatever tips I can," Loganathan said of Lakshmanan,who won a silver in the 10,000m event in the last Asian meet in China.
"I spoke to him and made him realise that he has a lot more to achieve," he said, adding "I was optimistic of a win for him ahead of the Bhubaneshwar meet. He has got the talent to achieve more. I wish he can make it to the Olympics."
"Participating in the World Athletics championship is a big step forward for him. It is a big event, where the best from across the globe participate. Everyone has some talent or the other. It is all about how one harnesses it and Lakshmanan has overcome a lot of hardships and made a name for himself. He can get better," the coach said.
Meanwhile, former international high jumper Nallusamy Annavi, a coach now, lauded Lakshmanan's feat and said, "it is a fantastic performance. We have had athletes from Tamil Nadu winning gold in various athletic events, but never in the 5,000 meteres."
"To win in home conditions makes it an even bigger achievement. I have helped him at some point of time when he was younger. A lot of credit must also go to Loganathan, who coached him since he was a raw talent. I wish he can go on to bigger things," the Tiruchirapalli-based athlete, who once held the national high jump record.
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