New Delhi, May 13 (Boxing News) Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain's IBA World Championship campaign in the 70 kg category came to an early end after a disappointing loss in the pre quarterfinals, while her compatriot Pooja Rani (81kg) cruised to the last eight stage in Istanbul on Friday.

Lovlina, competing in her first international event since her podium finish in Tokyo last year, went down to Cindy Ngamba of Fair Chance Team (FCT) 1-4 in the pre-quarter finals.

On the other hand, two-time Asian Champion Pooja notched a facile 5-0 win over Hungary's Timea Nagy in her opening bout.

Pooja, the 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist, who is also competing in her first competitive tournament since her disappointing Tokyo Olympics appearance last year, looked completely in control against Nagy.

The experienced Indian boxer blended defence and attack to out-punch the Hungarian, who is a two-time World Championships bronze medallist.

The Bhiwani boxer will take on Australia's Jessica Bagley in the quarterfinal on Monday.

In the first Indian bout of the day, Lovlina started a aggressively but looked far from being at her best.

The 24-year from Assam, going by her strategy of using her long hands to reach the opponent from afar, was unable to penetrate Ngamba defence.

She fared better in the second round but the boxer from FCT defended tightly, avoiding Lovlina’s punches while landing several sharp ones on the Indian.

Lovlina had defeated former world champion Chen Nien-Chin in the first round.

FCT is a team run by the International Boxing Association (IBA), formerly AIBA, from last year's men's World Championships, mainly comprising refugee athletes.

The 2017 World Youth Champion Nitu (48kg) and 2019 Asian Championships bronze medallist Manisha (57kg) will play their respective pre-quarterfinal bouts on Saturday.

Nitu will face Spain’s Lopez Del Arbol while Manisha will square off against Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva for a place in the quarter-final.

Also Read : Anamika begins campaign on winning note at IBA Women's World Boxing C'ships

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New Delhi, May 12 (Boxing News) Indian boxer Anamika (50kg) showed her prowess and technical superiority to advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, beating Romania's Eugenia Anghel by unanimous decision in Istanbul on Thursday.

The bout started on an aggressive note as both the boxers relentlessly attacked from the word go but Anamika displayed her sharp footwork and body feints to land clear punches while evading her opponent's counters.

The boxer from Rohtak continued her relentless attack in the second round and didn't let her opponent settle down. She dictated the terms throughout the whole bout and comfortably won by 5-0 margin to move to the next round.

Anamika will next face World Championships bronze medallist Kristy Lee Harris of Australia in the round-of-16 bout on Sunday.

Later on Thursday, two other Indian pugilists -- Shiksha (54kg) and Jaismine (60kg) -- are also set to begin their challenge at the prestigious tournament, which has been witnessing high voltage competition in presence of record 310 boxers from 73 countries across the world.

Shiksha will be up against Argentina's Herrera Milagros Rosario in the 54kg opening round match while Jaismine (60kg) will square off against two-time youth Asian champion Porntip Buapa of Thailand.

Two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg) and Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg) will play their respective round-of-16 bouts on Friday.

Pooja, who will begin her World Championships campaign, will take on Hungary's Timea Nagy while Lovlina will fight against Cindy Ngamba of Fair Chance Team. Lovlina had defeated former world champion Chen Nien-Chin in the first round on Monday.

Late on wednesday, Saweety (75kg) went down fighting against England's Kerry Davis and lost the bout by 2-3.

In the last edition of the tournament, held in Russia in 2019, Indian boxers secured one silver and three bronze medals. 

Also Read : World Boxing Championships: Nikhat, Parveen, Manisha register comprehensive wins

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New Delhi, May 10 (Boxing News) India's Nitu (48kg) put up a dominant display in her debut appearance at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships as she outpunched Romanian veteran Steluta Duta to enter the round of 16 in Istanbul on Tuesday.

The two-time former youth world champion Nitu continued her sublime form from the Stradja Memorial tournament earlier this year, where she clinched the gold medal in her maiden appearance, as she dominated all three rounds to win her opening bout by unanimous decision.

Both the boxers were aggressive from the onset, landing punches on each other. But the young Indian proved too much for the 40-year-old Romanian.

The two continued to attack in the second round with Nitu using her height advantage as Duta, a three-time world championship silver medallist, struggled to keep her momentum going in the electrically charged round of 32 bout.

The 21-year-old from Haryana then landed a flurry of punches in the third round as the last three minutes were closely-fought between the two. But Nitu defended tightly and looked in control to emerge victorious.

Incidentally, all three of Duta's silver medals at the event came from losses against an Indian -- six-time world champion M C Mary Kom, who withdrew from the tournament.

Nitu will take on Spain's Marta Lopez Del Arbol in the round of 16 on Saturday.

On Wednesday, 2019 Asian Championships bronze medallist boxer Nikhat Zareen will fight against Mexico's Herrera Alvarez in the 52kg opening round match.

Manisha (57kg), Parveen (63kg) and Saweety (75kg) will also begin their challenge in the round of 32 on the third day of the prestigious event, which has been witnessing a record participation of 310 boxers from 73 countries across the world.

Manisha, who received a bye in the opening round, will square off against Nepal's Kala Thapa, while Parveen and Saweety will take on Ukraine's Mariia Bova and England's Kerry Davis respectively.

On the opening day of the competition, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain made a winning return to the international circuit after clinching a thrilling 3-2 victory against two-time world championships medallist Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei. 

Also Read : Women’s World Boxing C'ships: Winning start for Lovlina, beats Chen by split decision

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New Delhi, May 9 (Boxing News) Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain upstaged former champion Chen Nien-Chin in the light middleweight division on Monday to enter the round of 16 at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul.

Returning to competitive boxing for the first time since her podium finish at the Tokyo Games last year, Lovlina (70kg) won by a 3-2 split decision against the Chinese Taipei boxer, who had defeated her in the semifinals of the 2018 edition.

This is Lovlina’s second win over Chen. The Indian had gotten the better of her in the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinal enroute to her bronze medal winning triumph.

The 24-year-old Assam boxer, who has two bronze medals from the 2018 and 2019 editions of the tournament, will now take on three-time national champion from England, Cindy Ngamba, in round of 16.

The two boxers started off the proceedings cautiously maintaining distance from each other. Lovlina soon began attacking with the use of her long arms but Chen defended well.

Both boxers landed a few punches in the second round.

Chen, who won gold and bronze medals in 2018 and 2016 respectively at the World Championships, tried attacking in the third round but the swift-moving Indian managed to block with a good defence technique and tilted the result of the nail-biting match in her favour.

On the second day, Nitu, the lone Indian boxer in action, will begin her challenge in the 48kg opening round against Romania’s Steluta Duta.

Four Indians -- Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Ankushita (66kg) and Nandini (+81kg) -- have been handed a bye in their respective opening rounds.

In the last edition of the World Championships held in Russia in 2019, the Indian boxers clinched one silver and three bronze medals. 

Also Read : Women’s World C'ships: India boxers handed mixed draw; Lovlina to begin campaign on opening day

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New Delhi, May 8 (Cricket News) Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain will take on former champion Chen Nien-Chin in her opening bout as Indian pugilists were handed a mixed draw in the 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, starting in Istanbul on Monday.

Borgohain (70kg) will kickstart India’s campaign on Monday, as she will be up against the Chinese Taipei boxer, who won gold and bronze medals in 2018 and 2016 editions respectively.

However, Borgohain, who will be making her first competitive outing since her podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics, will head to the fixture with some confidence having defeated Chen in the Olympic quarterfinals last year.

Two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg), Nandini and Nikhat Zareen (52kg) have also been handed tough draws in their respective categories.

Pooja will start in the round of 16 against two-time World Championships bronze medallist Timea Nagy of Hungary, while Nandini (+81kg) has received bye in the opening round but will face last edition's bronze medallist Khadija El-Mardi of Morocco in the quarter-finals.

On the other hand, Nikhat will face Mexico's Herrera Alvarez in the opening round and if she wins, she is likely to meet 2021 Asian Championships bronze medallist Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg of Mongolia in the round of 16.

Jaismine (60kg) will lock horns with two-time youth Asian champion Porntip Buapa of Thailand in the opening round.

If the Indian gets past the first hurdle, she may clash against former World Championships bronze medallist Rashida Ellis of USA in the last eight stage.

Among other Indians, Ankushita (66kg) got a comparatively easier draw alongside Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Parveen (63kg) and Saweety (75kg).

Ankushita will begin her challenge in the round of 16 after getting bye in the opening round.

The Indians have garnered 36 medals, including nine gold, eight silver and 19 bronze, so far in the 11 editions of the prestigious event.

India’s tally is the third highest after Russia (60) and China (50).

In the last edition held in Russia in 2019, the Indian boxers clinched one silver and three bronze medals.

More than 400 boxers from a record 93 countries are set to take part in this year’s event, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the prestigious event.

Indian squad: Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Nikhat Zareen (52kg), Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Jaismine (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita (66kg), Lovlina Borgohain (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (81kg), Nandini (+81kg). 

Also Read : Head coach Brendon McCullum rues KKR's power play struggles

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New Delhi, Apr 21 (Boxing News) Asian Games-bound woman pugilist Nikhat Zareen says she has evolved as a "technical boxer" after analysing her past performances over the years.

Nikhat, a part of the TOPS development team, is looking forward to an impressive show at the elite Women World Boxing Championship at Turkey, scheduled from May 6 to 21.

A total of 12 boxers, including Nikhat and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain, are set to compete at the event, which will be a litmus test ahead of the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, scheduled later this year.

"I'm really excited and confident (about competing at the World Championship). Lately I've been on a good run and I hope that it'll continue. I've prepared well for it," Nikhat said in a release, issued by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

"I had analysed my performance and worked on the things in which I was lacking. I'll give my best at the world championship. I've improved my game, both physically and mentally. I'm more of a technical boxer now." The Indian contingent, comprising 12 boxers and 11 support staff members, left India on April 20 for a training camp in Turkey, until May 5, prior to the competition.

Besides Nikhat, woman boxers participating at the Women World Boxing Championship in Turkey are Nitu Ghanghas, Anamika, Nikhat Zareen, Shiksha, Jaismine, Manisha, Parveen Hooda, Ankushita Boro, Lovlina, Saweety, Pooja Rani and Nandini. The Sports Ministry has sanctioned a total amount of Rs 92.12 lakh to facilitate the training camp and competition for the team.

Nikhat is set to compete at the Asian Games later this year in the women's 51kg category.

Apart from Nikhat, Manisha Moun (57kg), Jaismine (60kg), Lovlina (69kg) and Saweety Boora (75kg) have sealed their berths in the women's team for the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10 to 25. 

Also Read : Boxing: Govind, Ananta, Sumit strike gold; India ends Thailand Open with 10 medals

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New Delhi, Mar 14 (Boxing News) Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain and former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen were on Monday selected in the Indian women's boxing team for this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China after emerging victorious in the trials held here.

While Zareen secured her place in the 51kg division, Borgohain clinched the 69kg spot after trials held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Last week, both of them also made the world championships squad with Zareen qualifying in the 52kg category and Borgohain making the cut in 70kg.

In the Asian Games trial finals held this morning, Borgohain defeated Railways' boxer Pooja, and Zareen got the better of Manju Rani, a silver-medallist from the 2019 World Championships.

The Asian Games are due to be held from September 10 to 25.

In the world championship trials held last week, selections were also confirmed for the Asian Games in three overlapping divisions -- 57kg, 60kg and 75kg. The Asian Games feature five women categories.

In 57kg, Manisha won her trial bouts to make the cut for both the showpiece events, while the promising Jaismine (60kg) and the experienced Saweety Boora (75kg), who won a world silver medal in 2014, also ensured twin selections for themselves.

The world championships, to be held from May 6 in Istanbul, will be a comeback of sorts for Borgohain, who has not competed since her bronze-winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Assam boxer, who has been training at the national camp since last month, was kept busy by several felicitations immediately after her podium finish in the Japanese capital.

The 24-year-old became only the third Indian boxer ever to fetch an Olympic medal last year, joining an exclusive club which also includes Vijender Singh (2008, Beijing) and M C Mary Kom (2012, London).

The 25-year-old Zareen has had a great start to the year so far, winning a gold medal in the prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.

It was her second gold (after 2019) at the European season-opener, making her the first Indian to achieve this feat.

"I am exhausted because I haven't been able to get a break since Strandja. But I am so glad that the hard work is paying off. For now, just looking forward to a good meal after maintaining weight for so long," Zareen told PTI.

Mary Kom, a six-time world champion who is only targetting the Commonwealth Games this year, is the lone Indian woman boxer to have struck gold at the Asiad.

She won the yellow metal in the 2014 Incheon edition after a bronze in the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

In all, only four Indian women boxers have won medals at the Asiad since women's boxing made its debut in 2010.

L Sarita Devi (bronze, 2014), Kavita Goyat (bronze, 2010) and Pooja Rani (bronze, 2014) are the other three medal winners in the sport in the continental showpiece.

The trials for the Commonwealth Games are due to be held in June. The men's trials for both the Asiad and the CWG will be held in May.

Indian women's team for Asian Games: ========================= Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Manisha (57kg), Jaismine (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Saweety Boora (75kg). 

Also Read : Six Indian boxers clinch gold at Asian Youth and Junior Boxing C'ships

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Mar 2 (Badminton News) Young Indian para shuttler Palak Kohli says the Tokyo Games disappointment has increased her hunger for success and her sole aim is to return with a gold from the Paris Paralympics in two years time.

The youngest para badminton player to qualify for the Paralympics at 18, Kohli is currently competing at the Spanish Para badminton International II in Vitoria.

She had qualified in all three formats -- singles, women's doubles (Parul Parmar) and mixed doubles (Pramod Bhagat) at the Tokyo Games but couldn't return with a medal.

"Playing in Tokyo was a wonderful experience. There is no age criteria in para badminton. So being the youngest to qualify for three events was a blessing as I got exposure to all three events," Kohli, whose left-arm is underdeveloped since birth, told PTI.

"There was lot of disappointment after losing the mixed bronze at Tokyo after coming so close but it has also made me lot hungrier and I am living for that one aim, one goal for Paris. I don't want to settle for anything lesser than gold." Kohli, who has been signed by Adidas for its "Impossible is Nothing" campaign, is currently focussing on the Spanish Open, where she is seeded second in women's singles SU 5 group B.

She along with Bhagat are topping the group C in mixed doubles SL3-SU 5 with two wins. She also forms the top seed pair with Parmar in women's doubles SL3-SU5 and has won her first group A match.

"This year I am looking to play in various events. Spanish Open is an important event where I want to do well," said Kohli, who used the post Olympics time to recover from a bone marrow edema in her left tibia, a nagging injury which was first diagnosed in 2019.

"But World championships and Asian Games are the main events which I am looking up to for this year. My long term goals remains 2024 Paris, 2028 and 2032 Olympics," she said.

Kohli has joined the elite club of other Adidas' strong women athletes, including Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Hima Das, Nikhat Zareen and many others.

"I am happy to join Adidas. This brand has the ideology of 'impossible is nothing' and being the first para athlete from India to partner with Adidas is a feeling of happiness for me," Kohli said.

"The campaign relates so much with para athletes and my aim is to promote and take badminton to the next level. It will help me to raise my voice." 

Also Read : Para shuttlers Bhagat, Kadam eager to start 2022 season with wins in Spain

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 8 (Sports News) Two-time Olympic medallist badminton star P V Sindhu and Tokyo silver winner weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu were among the five nominees for the BBC Indian Sportswoman (ISWOTY) of the Year award announced here on Tuesday.

Besides Sindhu and Mirabai, star golfer Aditi Ashok, multiple medal winner at Tokyo Paralympics in shooting Avani Lekhara, Tokyo bronze winner boxer Lovlina Borgohain were the other three nominees, shortlisted by an distinguished jury of sports journalists, experts and sports writers.

"Success doesn’t come easy, it's not just few months of hard work, but years of hard work. Every day is a process, that’s how you come up to a certain level," Sindhu, who won a bronze at Tokyo Olympics to go with her silver five years back at Rio de Janeiro, said in a release.

Online voting for the award will remain open until February 28 and the winner will be revealed on March 28 at a ceremony here.

Aditi Ashok, who finished fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics said: "I am grateful and thankful because this was a good year for me, and I had some great performances. I am happy that golf is becoming more popular in India." The awards ceremony will also honour a legendary sportswoman with the BBC Lifetime Achievement award, and a young female player will be named as the BBC Emerging Player of the Year. 

Also Read : Deepak Hooda helps Jaipur Pink Panthers overcome Gujarat Giants

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Feb 2 (Football News) India's star centre-back Sandesh Jhingan has signed a multi-year deal with sportswear giant Adidas.

Jhingan, who represents ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League (ISL), will work closely with the sportswear company in engaging and inspiring the youth to take the game to the next level.

A recipient of All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Emerging Player of the Year award in 2014, Jhingan was named the Men's Player of the Year in 2020-2021.

He is also the recipient of the Arjuna Award in 2020 for his contribution to Indian football.

A fan of Manchester United, Jhingan will now join the brand's elite pool of athletes which includes the likes of Lionel Messi, Mo Salah, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala to name a few.

The brand also partners with some of the leading football clubs in the world including Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Bayern Munich.

In India, Jhingan joins the likes of Rohit Sharma, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Manpreet Singh, Simranjit Kaur, Nikhat Zareen, Jeremy Lalrinnunga who all are are associated with adidas.

Jhingan said, "My journey with football has been very enriching, and I aspire to make it a far bigger sport in India than it is today. I feel Adidas gets my passion and love for football like no other, given its long-standing relationship with the sport." Adidas India's senior director Sunil Gupta said, "Sandesh is a role model for many young footballers and a perfect combination of passion and talent.

"With this partnership we aim to inspire the youth and work towards a common goal of building football from the grassroot level in India." 

Also Read : Brazil rout Paraguay as Uruguay took a massive step towards qualification

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New Delhi, Jan 12 (Sports News) India's Olympic and Paralympic heroes, including men's hockey team skipper Manpreet Singh and para table-tennis player Bhavina Patel, feel there should be an increased focus on physical fitness and mental health of youngsters given the lifestyle changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manpreet and Bhavina were speaking at the National Youth Festival's virtual session titled 'Sports - A Unifier for Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'.

Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal and Parlympics bronze-medallist high jumper Sharad Kumar were also present for the session.

"Fitness is not just physical. There is mental fitness as well. Everyone should understand that life becomes a lot easier when you are fit. Your health remains good, you stay happy and positive," said Bhavina, who became the first-ever Indian paddler to win a medal at the Paralympics with her silver in Tokyo.

"So, every person should try a become fit. Staying fit is not just for sportspersons but good for everyone," she added.

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc all over the world.

Educational institutions have resorted to online classes and in such circumstances, Rani said it has become even more important to engage children in physical activities.

"Children are having a lot of online classes nowadays because of the pandemic but I request parents to send the children outside so that they have some physical and brain activity," she said.

"This will help in their growth. I am not saying everyone has to make sports their profession but children should be sent outside to plays so that they become healthy," Rani added.

Manpreet, who led the men's hockey team to an Olympic bronze medal, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting fitness among the youth via various schemes like the Fit India campaign and the Khelo India Games.

"If you take out 30 minutes in the day to exercise your body will remain fit and you can fight a lot of diseases," he said.

"Youth is our future and to take a country forward one must invest in youth. Our PM is focussing on this a lot. He knows youth is the future.

"He started Khelo India (Games) and Fit India campaign and the performance that we got in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics shows that and India’s future is very bright," Manpreet added. 

Also Read : PKL: Bengal Warriors look to bounce back, Pune eye U Mumba scalp in Maharashtra Derby

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Jan 11 (Boxing News) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal were among six Indian boxers who were on Tuesday included in the ongoing national camps for women and men in Delhi and Patiala respectively.

Panghal was joined by a fit-again Vikas Krishan, who underwent a shoulder surgery last year after the Olympics, Manish Kaushik, Satish Kumar, and Ashish Kumar in the men's camp in Patiala.

Mary Kom will report to the women's camp at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here after the inclusion of their names was recommended by the Boxing Federation of India.

The two camps will continue till March 14, the Sports Authority of India said in a statement.

All six of them were not included in the camps conducted in December last year as they had skipped the national championships after the Tokyo Olympics.

"The Olympian boxers will now join the camps, which started on January 3 with only those who had competed in the National Championships.

"With the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games drawing close, Sports authority of India approved the inclusion recommended by the Boxing Federation of India," the SAI stated.

As many as 63 men boxers across different weight categories and 27 coaching and support staff have been in the National Camp in NIS, Patiala.

A total of 57 women boxers, including Olympic Games bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain and 25 coaching and support staff are already in the national camp in the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. 

Also Read : IBA and the International Testing Agency renew anti-doping partnership

News Source : PTI

Guwahati, Jan 1 (Sports News) Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain was named for the 'Best Sportsperson of the Year Award 2021' by Assam Sports Journalists Association (ASJA) on Saturday.

Young swimmer Shivangi Sarma and weightlifter Sidhanta Gogoi were named for Nripendra Narayna Singha 'Best Junior Sportspersons of the Year Award', in a release by the journalists' body.

The ASJA said it is resuming its annual sports awards after a gap of few years due to various constraints, and the 2021 edition will be held here on January 11 "Government of Assam and Oil India Ltd have come to the ASJA's help this time to reinstitute the awards so that sportspersons are encouraged and motivated," the release said.

In other categories, the state volleyball team will be honoured with the Nurul Amin 'Best Team of the Year' Award.

The Pulin Das Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred on Premadhar Sarma.

The ASJA release added that the awardees have been selected based on their performance over the past calendar year.

"Apart from traditional honours, the awardees will be awarded with cash rewards as well," it added. 

Also Read : U-23 champion sprinter Taranjeet Kaur fails dope test

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 30 (Sports News) Neeraj Chopra's javelin flew high and did not come down until it had travelled enough to provide a golden touch to India's best-ever Olympic campaign at the Tokyo Games in a momentous 2021 which also witnessed the fall of the great Sushil Kumar.

The manner in which Chopra bossed the field with his 87.58m throw fulfilled the aspirations of a billion-plus nation that had not seen a track and field Olympic champion in its 74-year old sporting history since Independence.

It sent the country into a state of frenzy and turned Chopra into a phenomenon, and it was quite appropriate, too. After all, it was an accomplishment that fuelled the hopes of a nation that has been starving for success at sport's grandest stage.

It gave the current and future generation of athletes the belief that becoming an Olympic champion was indeed a possibility in this country if the right kind of training, exposure and timely financial support is provided.

The second-most populous region of the world rejoiced only its second individual Olympic gold medal since shooter Abhinav Bindra's spectacular show at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The 24-year-old son of a farmer was not alone in creating a moment of reckoning. India signed off with six more medals, won by athletes who did not have much in common geographically but had common traits of perseverance, grit and a burning passion to excel.

A sheen of silver was provided on the opening day itself by a chuckling Mirabai Chanu.

The Manipuri weightlifter carried on her small yet strong shoulders high hopes after her astounding success at the World Championship, and delivered with a stunning lift of 202kg (87kg+115kg) in the 49kg event in Tokyo.

The performance more than compensated for her Rio Olympics' heartbreak when she could not make a single legal lift.

A bunch of passionate hockey players, largely from humble backgrounds, reignited the love for the national sport with their bronze medal that felt like gold after a 41-year wait to see an Indian hockey team on the Olympic podium.

Skipper Manpreet Singh, a livewire on the field, the ever-smiling P Sreejesh and a fierce Rupinder Pal Singh all of them came together to shrug off the 1-7 bashing at the hands of Australia to trample Spain, defending champions Argentina, Japan and Great Britain en route to the semifinals.

Belgium broke a billion Indians' hearts by stopping the Indian team from entering the final but the players did not disappoint in the bronze medal play-off against Germany.

Putting years of physical and mental training to work, the players soaked in the pressure of a high-stake game to emerge deserving 5-4 winners, ensuring that the game of hockey would not slip into oblivion.

The Indian women's hockey team, led by Rani Rampal, scripted its own success story by reaching the medal round despite a hat-trick of defeats in the beginning.

The campaign did not culminate in a medal but the courageous fourth-place finish, after toppling mighty Australia in the quarterfinals, was no mean achievement. It earned the players plaudits and respect.

If Tokyo Olympics was about hockey's revival, the sport of wrestling continued to offer medals at the biggest stage, underlining its consistent growth.

The focus was on star grapplers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia but away from the limelight, it was Ravi Dahiya who left a lasting impact on the psyche of Indian sports lovers with his phoenix-like rise in the 57kg semifinals against Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev.

Trailing 2-9 with less than a minute to go, Ravi managed to pin his rival, showing immense physical prowess and mental toughness.

He could not repeat his success in the final against Russia's Zavur Uguev but it was enough to make him an overnight star. After all, he was only the second Indian, who was competing for an Olympic gold, after Sushil Kumar.

While Bajrang too stood on the podium, a bronze medal did not feel like an achievement as he was expected to reach at least the final, given the expectations and hype around him.

Vinesh's Olympic dream, though, was shattered once again with her unexpected second round exit after entering the event as a title contender. There was embarrassment in store for the game when two-time Olympic medallist Sushil landed in Tihar Jail after being accused of murder of a fellow wrestler, Sagar Dhankar.

The way the 38-year old Sushil, the only Indian wrestler to have won two Olympic medals and a world title, played hide and seek with the police before being arrested exposed the murky underbelly of Indian wrestling.

The year also propped up a new star in Anshu Malik who entered the history books as the first ever Indian woman to reach the World Championship final.

Badminton star PV Sindhu's legend grew with a second Olympic medal as she grabbed a bronze despite not being in top form. She is now only the second Indian to have won two individual Olympic medals.

Kidambi Srikanth regained his touch with a historic World championship silver and young Lakshya Sen continued to dazzle but the listless performance in team events was a significant low for Indian badminton in a topsy-turvy year.

Lovlina Borgohain clinched the welterweight (69kg) bronze to ensure the boxers did not return empty-handed from Tokyo.

Hailing from the small Baro Mukhia village in Assam, the 23-year-old became only the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal, after Vijender Singh and the legendary MC Mary Kom.

The Indian men's campaign came to a screeching halt after Satish Kumar (+91kg) went down to world champion Bakohodir Jalolov in the quarterfinals. The other four male boxers bowed out after opening-round defeats while Mary Kom (51kg) and Poja Rani (75kg) also bowed out early.

While the country got new heroes to idolise, established cricket star Virat Kohli lost a bit of his aura, even as the team cherished a historic success in Australia and came close to winning a Test series in England.

Kohli quit T20 captaincy at the end of the World Cup and had no plans to leave the ODI captaincy but India's premature exit from the tournament led to the inevitable and the mighty Kohli did not see that BCCI bombshell coming.

Following his sacking as 50-over skipper, dirty linen was washed in public with Kohli and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly contradicting each other on the sequence of events that led to the former's removal.

The early exit at the T20 World Cup was a big disappointment but it marked the end of a successful era under Kohli and Ravi Shastri, especially in the longest format.

The win at Gabba by a second-string side will be remembered for long as Indian cricket enters a new era under Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.

During the year, the Indian senior men's football team won a record-extending eighth SAFF Championship title but for a nation seeking to relieve its glory days of the 1950s-60s, a triumph in a regional tournament is not something it would be contend with.

Veteran Sunil Chhetri went past the legendary Pele and equalled Lionel Messi when he scored the team's opener -- and his 80th goal -- against Nepal in the summit clash of the SAFF Championships in October.

The Indian shooters failed miserably at the Games, where they had gone with a lot of hype and expectations. They produced outstanding results throughout the year but when it mattered the most, they faltered.

Discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur and golfer Aditi Ashok, though, came up with gritty show. They did not win medals but certainly new fans.

An important factor in India's stupendous success in 2021 was the way the government opened its coffers to support athletes. 

Also Read : Naveen shines in Dabang Delhi's win over Bengal Warriors

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 24 (Sports News) Under-20 World Athletics silver medal-winning long jumper Shaili Singh is among 50 sportspersons across eight disciplines who have been added to the Core Group of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), the Sports Ministry announced on Friday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Thursday, where 143 athletes were included in the Development Group.

By picking 50 athletes in the Core Group and 143 in the Development Group across eight disciplines in the second list, the MOC has increased the count to 291, including 102 in the Core Group.

Athletes from as many as 13 Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic disciplines have been identified so far for support in their preparation for the 2024 Games.

The 17-year-old Shaili, considered one of the brightest upcoming stars in Indian athletics, had won the silver medal in the long jump event at the World U20 Athletics Championship earlier this year.

Among the youngest of those identified for support is swimmer Riddhima Veerendra Kumar. The 14-year-old won a clutch of medals in the National Junior Championships in October and also made waves in the National Championships a week later.

She was named among the 17 swimmers in the Development Group in addition to the two identified earlier for Core Group.

"The MOC accepted a recommendation by a sub-committee that a review of the swimming list be undertaken after the World Championships in June next year and of the archery list after the National Ranking tournament next month. Some other sport like Equestrian, Golf, Gymnastics, Judo and Tennis will be taken up later," the ministry said.

There were no surprises in the selections made in other sports as well with Tokyo Olympians such as P V Sindhu, Deepika Kumari, M C Mary Kom, and Mohammed Anas Yahiya retaining their place in the core group.

Seasoned shuttler Saina Nehwal has also managed to hold on to her core group spot despite failing to qualify for the Tokyo Games.

The list of athletes selected for TOPS Core and Development Groups: Archery: Core Group- Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari.

Development Group- Pravin Jadhav, Bommaravera Dhiraj, Parth Sushant Salunkhe, Aditya Choudhary, Yasdhdeep Bhoge, Divyansh Kumar Panwar, Kapish Singh, Vickey Ruhal, Neeraj Chauhan, Amit Kumar, Sudanshu Bisht, Bishal Changmai, Komalika Bari, Ankita Jadhav, Madhu Vedwan, Simranjeet Kaur, Ridhi, Deepti Kumari, Tamna, Soniya Thakur, Avni, Manjari Alone and Tisha Punia.

Athletics: Core Group- Mohammed Anas Yahiya, Dharun Ayyasamy, Naganathan Pandi, Arokia Rajiv, Amoj Jacob, Noah Nirmal Tom, Avinash Sable, Murali Sreeshankar, Neeraj Chopra, Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Sandeep Kumar, Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Revathi Veeramani, VK Vismaya, Jisna Mathew, Subha Venkatesan, S Dhanalakshmi, Priyanka Goswami, Bhawna Jat, Shaili Singh, Kamalpreet Kaur, Seema Punia and Annu Rani.

Development Group- Vikrant Panchal, Ayush Dabas, Kapil, Ajay Kumar Saroj, Tejaswin Shankar, Praveen Chitravel, Rohit Yadav, Sahil Silwal, Jeswin Aldrin, Muhammed Ajmal, Karanveer Singh, Yashveer Singh, Amit Khatri, AT Daneswari, Anjali Devi, Priya Mohan, Jyotika Dandi, Kaveri, R Vithya, NS Simi, PD Anjali, Sandra Babu, Ancy Sojan and Sherin Abdul Gafoor.

Badminton: Core Group- Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponappa.

Development Group- Sankar Muthusamy, Pranav Rao Gandham, Maisnam Meiraba, K Sathish Kumar, Rohan Gurbani, Sai Charan Koya, Kiran Geroge, Priyanshu Rajwat, Ishaan Bhatnagar, P Vishnuvardhan Goud, Krishna Prasad G, Dhruv Kapil, MR Arjun, Sai Prateek Krishna Prasad, Tasnim Mir, Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, Samiya Imar Farooqui, Aakarshi Kashyap, Malvika Bansod, Ashmita Chaliha, Aditi Bhatt, Tanisha Crasto, Treesa Jolly, Ashwini Bhat, Rutuparna Panda and Shikha Gautam.

Boxing: Core Group- Amit Pangal, Deepak Kumar, Manish Kaushik, Sanjeet, Satish Kumar, MC Mary Kom, Lovlina Borgohain and Pooja Rani.

Development Group- Kavinder Bisht, Ashish Kumar, Bihswametra Chongtham, Aakash Kumar, Sachin Siwach, Mohammed Husamuddin, Rohit More, Sachin, Ankit Narwal, Mohammed Etash Khan, Varinder, Shiva Thapa, Akash Sangwan, Naveen Boora, Nishant Dev, Hemant Yadav, Sumit, Sachin Kumar, Laksya Chahar, Naman Tanwar, Naveen Kumar, Vishal Gupta, Aman Singh, Narender, Nitu, Rani Manju, Nikhat Zareen, Anamika, Babyrojisana Naroem Chanu, Jamuna Boro, Poonam Poonia, Sakshi, Jasmine, Simranjit Kaur, Parveen Hooda, Ankushita Boro, Vinka, Arundathi Chaudhary and Sanamacha Chanu.

Fencing: Core Group- Bhavani Devi.

Development Group- Karan Singh, Abhay Shinde, C Jetlee, RS Sherjin, SN Siva Magesh, Bennet Joseph, Laishram Moramba, Oinam Jubraj, Tanishka Khatri, Sheetal Dalal, Vedika Khushi and Shreya Gupta.

Rowing: Core Group- Arjun Lal Jat, Arvind Singh, Sukhmeet Singh, Bittu Singh, Jakhar Khan and Ravi.

Development Group- Parminder Singh.

Swimming: Development Group- Advait Page, Kushagra Rawat, Aryan Nehra, Neel Roy, Shoan Ganguly, Tanish George Mathew, Aneesh S Gowda, Swadesh Mondal, Aryan Panchal, R Sambhavv, Maana Patel, Kenisha Gupta, Aanya Wala, Apeksha Fernandes, Bhavya Sachdeva, Suvana C Baskar and Ridhima Veerendra Kumar.

Table Tennis: Development Group: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Prapti Sen. 

Also Read : Justin Gatlin approaching 40 in early 2022 season

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 9 (Boxing news) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal are among the top names missing from the list of boxers finalised for the 13-day national camps for men and women that will get underway at separate locations from December 11.

In fact, none of the five male boxers who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, including Manish Kaushik, Ashish Chaudhary, Vikas Krishan and Satish Kumar, have made the list of 52 men who will train from December 11 to 24 at Patiala's National Institute of Sports (NIS). Of these, Vikas is currently nursing a shoulder injury, which required surgery.

The women's camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Rohtak on the exact same dates.

"It's because they did not compete in the national championships. It was pre-decided that this camp will only be for national medal winners and the ones who were picked after a trial at the end of Nationals," a top federation source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"It does not apply to camps that will be held later and nobody should get too concerned about missing out here. All those who are not there right now will have a chance to be back in the camps that will be held later," he added.

When contacted, Mary Kom did not dwell on the subject and said, "I am just training at home right now. I will get down to rigorous training with my team in mid January and prepare for the world championships." The 38-year-old Manipuri, who is a former Olympic bronze-medallist, is also a serving Rajya Sabha MP. She is aiming to compete in the world championships and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next year.

The women's world championship, to be held in Istanbul, was pushed from December this year to March by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event is set to be further delayed to May next year.

The national women's camp will feature 49 boxers, including the likes of Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg), former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg), and Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg) among others.

Borgohain did not compete in the nationals either but in her case, the federation had decided to make an exception due to her medal-winning performance in Tokyo.

"The list is as per the last executive committee meeting decision in which Lovlina was the only one given an exemption," the source said.

Also there is Arundhati Chaudhary, the 19-year-old youth word champion who kicked up quite a storm when she challenged Borgohain's automatic selection for the world championship in the Delhi High Court. The federation ultimately agreed for a trial after the mega-event was postponed.

Her national gold has secured her a place in the camp and she would be trying to make an impression.

In the men's camp, five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Asian silver-medallist Deepak Kumar (51kg) and former world championship quarterfinalist Kavinder Bisht (57kg) are among the prominent names in the list of campers.

The two camps will be conducted by new head coaches for both men and women. While Narender Rana will be in charge for men, Bhaskar Bhatt will be heading the women's camp.

Men's High Performance Director awaits extension =============================== Men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva is awaiting a longer extension to his contract that ended with the October-November world championships in Serbia.

It is reliably learnt that the Swede is likely to be retained despite coming under pressure after an underwhelming Olympic campaign during which none of the male boxers could make the medal rounds.

At the recent world event, India claimed one medal, a bronze through debutant Akash Kumar in the 54kg category.

Also Read : Turkey boxing championship postponed, fresh trials to be held: BFI to HC

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Dec 7 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that fresh trials are required to be conducted for the Women's World Boxing Championship, 2021 as the tournament has been postponed from December this year to May 2022 in Istanbul in view of the COVID-19 situation.

The BFI submitted in response to a petition by National champion Arundhati Choudhary against not being considered for the championship in Turkey.

Justice Rekha Palli granted four weeks to BFI to place on record the procedure which will be followed for conducting the trials and listed the matter for further hearing on January 31.

The counsel for BFI submitted that given the COVID-19 position, the Women's World Boxing Championships 2021 to be held in Istanbul, Turkey has now been postponed to May 2022, and therefore the petitioner's grievance may no longer survive as fresh trials are required to be conducted before sending names for the championship when trials will be held in accordance with the law.

The court had earlier sought response of the BFI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on the petition by the 19-year-old boxer who said that Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain has been selected without a trial.

It had granted liberty to Choudhary, who is also the reigning youth world champion, to implead Borgohain in the matter, saying the court cannot examine the petitioner's contention or pass any order at the latter's back.

BFI's counsel had informed the court that Choudhary has already been registered for the event as a reserved boxer in the 70 kg category and there could be only one entry in each category and if she is aggrieved by the selection of Borgohain, she ought to have impleaded her as a party respondent.

As an interim measure, Choudhary has sought that the ministry and BFI be restrained from taking any detrimental action against her by denying the opportunity for her representation in the World Women Boxing Championship, 2021 to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Choudhary, in her plea, has said in the light of her excellent record that as she won the gold medal in the women's national boxing championship held in Hissar in October this year, she ought to have been given preference over any other candidate in the upcoming championship in Turkey.

Also Read : Boxing: Chennai's Sabari J wins inaugural WBC India title

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 17 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) told the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that since the upcoming Women's World Boxing Championship has been postponed till March, it is likely to re-examine its earlier decision on the selected sportspersons from the country, which did not include National champion Arundhati Choudhary.

Counsel for BFI told Justice Rekha Palli, who was hearing a plea by Choudhary against not being considered for the championship, sought two weeks from the court to allow the sports body to decide if it is going to stick to earlier selected players or take a fresh decision.

“Give us two weeks. BFI can decide,” said counsel Parth Goswami.

Considering BFI's stand, the judge deferred hearing on the reigning youth world champion's petition and said that no orders were called for at this stage on her plea to make the selected player, Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain, a party to the proceedings.

On November 10, the court had issued notice to BFI and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on the petition by the 19-year-old boxer who challenged her non-selection and claimed that Borgohain had been selected without a trial for the world championship.

The world championship, which was scheduled from December 4 to 18 in Istanbul, has been postponed till March next year due to the surging COVID-19 cases in Turkey.

In a statement earlier the BFI said, “Since only one entry in each weight category could be sent for the world championships, BFI has taken a conscious decision in its EC meeting and thereafter in its Selection Committee meeting to give 'one time exception for Ms. Lovlina Borgohain' Tokyo Olympic Bronze medallist, who will be selected for world championships directly in her weight category.” It said this decision was taken in the light of the fact that there was very less gap between Olympics and Elite Women's Championships that was held at Hissar and that Lovlina -- was also world no.3 in this weight category -- needed time to recuperate after Tokyo Olympics.

The decision was communicated to all state associations, it was stated.

Lawyers appearing for the BFI had informed the court on the previous occasion that petitioner has already been registered for the event as a reserved boxer in the 70 kg category.

Choudhary, in her plea filed through advocates Vijay Mishra and Sandeep Lamba, has said in the light of her excellent record and as she won gold medal in the women's national boxing championship held in Hissar in October this year, she ought to have been given preference over any other candidate in the upcoming championship in Turkey.

As an interim measure, Choudhary sought that the ministry and BFI be restrained from taking any detrimental action against her by denying the opportunity for her representation in the World Women Boxing Championship.

The matter would be heard next on December 7.

Also Read : With world championships postponed till March 2022; trials 'all but certain' for women boxers

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 13 (Sports news) Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, veteran woman cricketer Mithali Raj and history-making Paralympic stars shared the spotlight as an unprecedented 12 sportspersons were presented with India's highest sporting honour -- the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna -- by President Ram Nath Kovind here on Saturday.

In a glittering function organised at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan here, the President recognised the country's unparalleled Olympic and Paralympic performances.

The event became an in-person affair this time after going online the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The star attraction of the evening was Chopra, who received his Khel Ratna award amid thunderous applause from the select dignitaries present on the specially organised function.

Chopra was the first among the Khel Ratna awardees to receive the honour.

Besides the 23-year-old star, other recipients of the Khel Ratna recognition, were Olympic bronze-winning Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh, veteran goalkeeper P R Sreejesh, Olympic silver-medallist wrestler Ravi Dahiya, Olympic bronze-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain and Mithali.

Sunil Chhetri became the first footballer to be bestowed the award, a well-deserved recognition for keeping pace with the likes of Lionel Messi in scoring international goals.

Paralympic gold-winners Avani Lekhara (Shooting), Sumit Antil (Athletics), Pramod Bhagat (Badminton), Krishna Nagar (Badminton), Manish Narwal (Shooting) were also given the Khel Ratna.

Along with 12 Khel Ratnas, India this year has 35 Arjuna awardees. The long list this year was a result of the historic medal hauls at the Olympics (7) and Paralympics (19).

The event is traditionally held on August 29 every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.

The Khel Ratna award carries a cash prize purse of Rs 25 lakh, a medal a scroll of honour.

The Arjuna award carries a prize money of Rs 15 lakh, a bronze statue and a scroll of honour.

Present at Saturday's ceremony was sports minister Anurag Thakur along with a host of other dignitaries, including his predecessor Kiren Rijiju.

Also Read : My entire focus is on sports, biopic can wait until I win more medals: Neeraj Chopra

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 11 (Boxing news) With the International Boxing Association (AIBA) postponing the women's world championship in Istanbul till March 2022, the Indian federation will, in all likelihood, hold trials to pick the team that was to comprise national champions and Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain earlier.

The marquee global showpiece was scheduled from December 4 to 18 in the Turkish city. In a letter to the national federations, AIBA said that the "COVID-19 situation is too difficult at present" and it cannot take the risk to proceed with the event.

India was to be represented by the reigning national champions in all weight categories except for the 70kg division in which Borgohain, a two-time bronze-medallist at the world event, was given direct selection for her show in the Tokyo Games.

"The national camp is set to be delayed a little bit because of this development and now trials across weight categories are certain because of the huge time gap of four months. We have to take stock of the fitness of the boxers also, so it is only logical that trials will be held closer to the tournament," a top source in the national federation told PTI.

"Also, the women boxers will travel outside to prepare because it is not just the worlds we are talking about. Next year also has the Commonwealth and Asian Games," he added.

Borgohain's direct selection had become a major controversy after it was opposed by national gold-winner and world youth champion Arundhati Choudhary, who has taken the matter to Delhi High Court.

The HC has issued a notice to the Boxing Federation of India, which has cited Borgohain's world ranking of number three and Olympic performance as the grounds for her direct selection.

The postponement is also set to open up a window of opportunity for some other high-profile names such as six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Simranjit Kaur.

While Mary Kom had skipped the nationals because of short preparation time, Simranjit had lost in the semifinals.

It was during the men's world championships in Belgrade when several countries expressed apprehension about travelling to Turkey amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across Europe which has led to fresh travel restrictions and border control measures.

"As such, AIBA Board of Directors, in consensus with the Turkish National Federation, has decided to postpone the Women's World Championships to March 2022," Kremlev said in his letter which is in PTI's possession.

"...the feedback received is that too many National Federations are facing difficult situations and restrictions within their countries. Regrettably, the Covid situation is too difficult at present," he explained.

"...please understand that the safety and wellbeing of our athletes, officials and other stakeholders is priority, and therefore we cannot take the risk to proceed with the event," he added.

Just like the men's world championship, the women's event will also have prize money for the first time ever. The AIBA has announced a prize money fund of USD 2.4 million for medal winners across 12 weight categories.

The prize for first place has been kept USD 100 000. The silver-medallists would receive USD 50,000 and both bronze winners in each weight category would be richer by USD 25,000.

In July, AIBA increased the women's weight categories from 10 to 12.

The new divisions are 48kg, 50kg, 52kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 70kg, 75kg, 81kg, and +81kg. 

Also Read : Women's world boxing championship postponed; AIBA says COVID situation too difficult

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 10 (Boxing news) Next month's women's world boxing championship in Istanbul was on Wednesday postponed till March 2022 by the sport's governing body AIBA, which said the "COVID-19 situation is too difficult at present" and it cannot take the risk to proceed with the event.

As reported by PTI on Tuesday, the event's postponement was sealed during the recent men's world championships in Belgrade where several countries expressed apprehensions about travelling to Turkey amid a surge in COVID cases.

"As such, AIBA Board of Directors, in consensus with the Turkish National Federation, has decided to postpone the Women’s World Championships to March 2022," AIBA President Umar Kremlev said in a letter to national federation which is in PTI's possession.

"...the feedback received is that too many National Federations are facing difficult situations and restrictions within their countries. Regrettably, the Covid situation is too difficult at present," he explained.

The tournament was tentatively planned from December 4 to 18 in Istanbul. Turkey has been logging cases in excess of 25,000 regularly.

The country also reported 187 deaths on Monday because of the deadly infection that has wreaked havoc globally for the past two years. The surge in cases has been attributed to the delta variant of the virus.

"We are aware that some teams have already started preparations for this event and will be disappointed," Kremlev said.

"However, please understand that the safety and wellbeing of our athletes, officials and other stakeholders is priority, and therefore we cannot take the risk to proceed with the event," he added.

Europe, in general, has been witnessing a rise in COVID cases.

India was to be represented by the reigning national champions in all weight categories except for 70kg division in which Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain has been given direct selection.

Her direct selection has been opposed by national gold-winner and world youth champion Arundhati Choudhary, who has taken the matter to Delhi High Court. The HC has issued a notice to the Boxing Federation of India on the matter.

But with the postponement of the mega-event, there could be trials in all weight categories given the time lag.

For the first time ever, the AIBA announced a prize money fund of USD 2.4 million for medal winners across 12 weight categories.

The prize for first place has been kept USD 100 000. The silver-medallists would receive USD 50,000 and both bronze winners in each weight category would be richer by USD 25,000.

The world body had also announced that AIBA Extraordinary Congress would be held during the championships, and major reforms of the organisation will be announced.

In July, AIBA increased the women's weight categories from 10 to 12.

The new divisions are 48kg, 50kg, 52kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 70kg, 75kg, 81kg, and +81kg.

Also Read : AIBA women's world boxing set to be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 8 (Boxing News) The women's world boxing championship scheduled next month in Turkey is all set to be postponed due to the high number of COVID-19 cases being registered in the country, a spokesperson of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) told PTI on Tuesday.

The decision to postpone the championships could be announced anytime this week. The tournament was tentatively planned from December 4 to 18 in Istanbul.

"It is highly likely that the world championship would be postponed as many countries have expressed reservations about travelling to Turkey because of the COVID cases there," an AIBA spokesperson told PTI in a telephonic conversation.

"You can say, it is more or less decided, the postponement. There has already been a round-table on this involving AIBA President Umar Kremlev during which several countries have expressed their apprehension. A decision on this will be announced very soon this week.

"We don't want a depleted field because of the pandemic," the spokesperson added.

The event could be held in the first half of next year. Kremlev has stated that if postponed, the championship could be held in March next year.

Turkey logged 27,824 COVID cases on Monday. The country also reported 187 deaths on the day because of the deadly infection that has wreaked havoc for the past two years. The surge in cases has been attributed to the delta variant of the virus.

India was to be represented by the reigning national champions in all weight categories except for 70kg division in which Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain has been given direct selection.

Her direct selection has been opposed by national gold-winner and world youth champion Arundhati Choudhary, who has taken the matter to Delhi High Court.

However, a postponement would, in all likelihood, force trial bouts across weight categories.

For the first time ever, the AIBA announced a prize money fund of USD 2.4 million for medal winners across 12 weight categories.

The prize for first place has been kept USD 100 000. The silver-medallists would receive USD 50,000 and both bronze winners in each weight category would be richer by USD 25,000.

The world body had also announced that AIBA Extraordinary Congress would be held during the championships, and major reforms of the organisation will be announced.

In July, AIBA increased the women's weight categories from 10 to 12.

The new divisions are 48kg, 50kg, 52kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 70kg, 75kg, 81kg, and +81kg.

The world body recently conducted the men's world championship in Belgrade and even welcomed fans into the arena. The event passed off without any disruption and India ended with one bronze medal. 

Also Read : New men's boxing coach Rana wants more counter-attacks, less social media activity from wards

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 7 (Boxing news) Long-serving national youth coach Bhaskar Bhatt is all but certain to take over as the senior women's head coach before the world championships, for which Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain will remain a direct selection despite the request for a trial by national gold-winner Arundhati Choudhary.

In a conversation with PTI, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Secretary General Hemanta Kalita said the decision to give Borgohain a direct entry in the 70kg category will not be revisited despite Choudhary's open letter, seeking a trial citing "the concept of fair play and need to prove oneself each time." "There won't be any trials for the women's world championship. As decided during the Executive Committee meeting in September, national champions, except for the category in which Lovlina competes, will form the team," Kalita asserted.

"The decision to give Lovlina direct entry was based on her Tokyo Olympics performance. It will not be changed," he added.

The women's world championships is scheduled to take place in December in Istanbul. The dates of the competition have not yet been finalised.

The 24-year-old Borgohain is a two-time bronze-medallist at the showpiece, while the 19-year-old Choudhary had won a gold in the youth world championships earlier this year.

Bhaskar Bhatt next women's head coach: ========================= Long-serving national youth coach Bhaskar Bhatt is set to be given charge of the senior women's camp after the BFI did not renew contracts of High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco and chief coach Mohammed Ali Qamar.

The 56-year-old Bhatt, who hails from Uttarakhand, has been with the youth team since 2017 and was an assistant coach in the senior women's camp from 2005 to 2012. He took a break from coaching between 2012 and 2017 to spend time with his family after his daughter completed her schooling.

A former national bronze-medallist, Bhatt joined the Sports Authority of India in 1992 after completing his coaching diploma from the National Institute of Sports in Patiala back in 1989.

His brother D P Bhatt is also a former boxer, who went on to become a referee/judge before taking a plunge into administration.

"I will be honoured to be given the responsibility. I have been with the women's camp in the past. So, I have a fair idea about the demands of the job," Bhatt told PTI.

AIBA President Umar Kremlev could visit India: ============================= International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Umar Kremlev might visit India in the second half of this month to discuss the growth of the sport in the country with the national federation.

"His visit to India will be a part of the Asia tour that he plans to undertake this month. He might come here after November 21 or in the last week. It will be about discussing development of boxing," Kalita said.

Kremlev, who has aggressively pushed for cleaner bouts amid the continuing uncertainty over boxing's future as an Olympic sport, has been visiting several countries to drive home the message of integrity and grassroots development.

The AIBA under him is also sanctioning liberal funding for growth projects across the world and has earned plaudits for introducing handsome prize money funds for various world and continental events.

Santiago Nieva might stay for a while: ======================== Men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, who has been given an extension till end of December, might stay a bit longer than that.

It is learnt that the federation is still on the lookout for a new foreign coach but given that the search hasn't yielded any desired candidates so far, it might hold on to the Swede for a bit longer.

"Unless we can find a decent replacement for him, there is no point in leaving the position vacant. So, we are still looking but we would prefer for him to stay till the time a replacement is found," a BFI source told PTI.

"The planning should not be disturbed. So he might just stay for a while but nothing is cast in stone yet," he added.

Nieva's contract was to originally end after the Tokyo Olympics and the federation had also indicated its dissatisfaction with him after none of the male boxers could finish on the podium in the Japanese capital.

Also Read : AIBA announces formation of Boxing Integrity Unit to tackle corruption, manipulation

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Nov 1 (Sports news) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday physically handed over trophies to the winners of National Sports Awards 2020 after the award ceremony was held virtually last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All the winners of the National Sports Awards 2020 had already received their cash awards but were not able to collect their trophies and citation because of the pandemic.

On August 29 last, the Sports Ministry had conferred 74 National Sports Awards, including five Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna) and 27 Arjuna awards.

The notable awardees who attended Monday's ceremony at a city hotel here were women's hockey captain Rani Rampal, star wrestler Vinesh Phogat and 2016 Paralympics gold winner Thangavelu Mariyappan, who were handed the prestigious Khel Ratna.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, cricketer Ishant Sharma, sprinter Dutee Chand, archer Atanu Das and shuttlers Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Chandrasekhar Shetty were among others who collected their the Arjuna trophies.

"The National Sports Awards is a prestigious award that is won by athletes after years of dedication and hard work. Congratulations to all the awardees and the very best for their future events. The journey of the awardees doesn't end here, there is more to be achieved," Thakur said during the function.

"We must also continue to look for talented athletes, groom them and make them capable of winning medals at the international level. So I request all the athletes to take the pledge of at least grooming and training five such athletes who can win medals for India in the future." The event was also graced by Sports Secretary Sujata Chaturvedi, Youth Affairs Secretary Usha Sharma and other top ministry and SAI officials.

List of National Sports Awardees for 2020: Khel Ratna Award: Rohit Sharma (Cricket), Mariyappan Thangavelu (Para-Athletics), Manika Batra (Table Tennis), Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling), Rani Rampal (Hockey).

Arjuna Award: Atanu Das (Archery), Dutee Chand (Athletics), Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (Badminton), Chirag Chandrasekhar Shetty (Badminton), Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (Basketball), Manish Kaushik (Boxing), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), Ishant Sharma (Cricket), Deepti Sharma (Cricket), Sawant Ajay Anant (Equestrian), Sandesh Jhingan (Football), Aditi Ashok (Golf), Akashdeep Singh (Hockey), Deepika (Hockey), Deepak (Kabaddi), Kale Sarika Sudhakar (Kho Kho), Dattu Baban Bhokanal (Rowing), Manu Bhaker (Shooting), Saurabh Chaudhary (Shooting), Madhurika Patkar (Table Tennis), Divij Sharan (Tennis), Shiva Keshavan (Winter Sports), Divya Kakran (Wrestling), Rahul Aware (Wrestling), Suyash Narayan Jadhav (Para-Swimming), Sandeep (Para-Athletics), Manish Narwal (Para Shooting).

Dronacharya Award (Life-Time Category): Dharmendra Tiwary (Archery), Purushotham Rai (Athletics), Shiv Singh (Boxing), Romesh Pathania (Hockey), Krishan Kumar Hooda (Kabaddi), Vijay Bhalchandra Munishwar (Para Powerlifting), Naresh Kumar (Tennis), Om Parkash Dahiya (Wrestling).

Dronacharya (Regular Category): Jude Felix (Hockey), Yogesh Malviya (Mallakhamb), Jaspal Rana (Shooting), Kuldeep Kumar Handoo (Wushu), Gaurav Khanna (Para Badminton).

Dhyan Chand Award: Kuldip Singh Bhullar (Athletics), Jincy Philips (Athletics), Pradeep Shrikrishna Gandhe (Badminton), Trupti Murgunde (Badminton), N Usha(Boxing), Lakha Singh (Boxing), Sukhvinder Singh Sandhu (Football), Ajit Singh (Hockey), Manpreet Singh (Kabaddi), J Ranjith Kumar (Para-Athletics), Satyaprakash Tiwari (Para Badminton), Manjeet Singh (Rowing), Late Shri Sachin Nag (Swimming), Nandan Bal (Tennis), Netarpal Hooda (Wrestling).

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards: Anita Devi (Land Adventure), Col Sarfraz Singh (Land Adventure), Taka Tamut (Land Adventure), Keval Hiren Kakka (Land Adventure), Satendra Singh (Water Adventure), Gajanand Yadava (Air Adventure), Late Magan Bissa (Life Time Achievement).

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent: Lakshya Institute, Army Sports Institute.

Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd.

Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures: Air Force Sports Control Board.

Sports for Development: International Institute of Sports Management (IISM).

Also Read : Sports Ministry to hand over trophies to winners of 2020 National Sports Awards on November 1

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 30 (Sports news) The Sports Ministry is set to physically hand over trophies to all the winners of last year's National Sports Awards during a function at the Ashoka Hotel here on November 1.

According to an official of the Sports Ministry, all the winners of 2020 have already received the cash awards but now they will be presented with their trophies and citation during the event.

Last year, the National Sports Awards ceremony was held virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Sports Awards are given away on August 29 every year on the occasion of National Sports Day, celebrated on the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand.

The National Sports Awards include the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award (earlier Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna), Arjuna award, Dronacharya award, Dhyan Chand award among others.

Also Read : Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain among 11 recommended for Khel Ratna

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 29 (Sports news) World number one para shuttler Pramod Bhagat says he won't rest on his past laurels and continue to strive hard for more success on international circuit after being recommended for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.

The 33-year-old Bhagat was one of the 11 athletes who were nominated for the country's highest sporting honour by the selection committee after his gold-medal winning feat in SL3 singles category at Tokyo Paralympics.

"This is like an icing on the cake especially after winning the first gold medal in Paralympics for Indian Badminton. This award will only motivate me to work and strive harder and keep pushing myself," said Bhagat, who was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2019.

"I feel my career has just started and I have a long way to go and I am not complacent and not ready to rest on my laurels." Bhagat is one of the best para shuttlers in the country with 45 international medals to his name, including four world championship gold medals and a gold and a bronze in 2018 Asian Para Games.

He thanked his "family, friends and the entire country for supporting me in his journey." "I would like to thank SAI, TOPS and Go Sports foundation for the support they have given not only me but everybody else which has motivated everyone to perform better," said the shuttler from Odisha, who had contracted polio when he was four years old.

Bhagat, who has recently resumed training to prepare for the Uganda Para badminton International Open beginning at Kampala from November 15, hoped to compete in more events this year after COVID-19 disrupted the international schedule.

"Preparations have already begun. The next tournament is going to be in Uganda. I have already started training and preparing myself for the same.

"I am hoping that we have more tournaments up ahead, last year due to Covid 19 most of the tournaments were cancelled.

"My aim is 2024 Paralympics and not just to repeat my gold medal feat but also win another medal in mixed doubles or doubles." Bhagat had missed out on a bronze medal in mixed doubles SL3-SU5 class after he along with his partner Palak Kohli lost the third-place play off match at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Bhagat said he was overwhelmed with the response that he got ever since returning to the country from Tokyo.

"The response has been fantastic, we got a great reception from not only the government but also people. Where ever we went, people recognised us and it gave a sense of pride and also motivated me to strive harder and keep winning medals for India," he said.

"This kind of response was never there earlier especially for Para sports so I am very happy that things are changing and moving in the right direction."

Also Read : Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain among 11 recommended for Khel Ratna

News Source : PTI

(Cricket news) The Khel Ratna award is the highest sporting honour in India and is given to a person for outstanding achievement in sports and when it comes to women's cricket there is no one who has achieved more than Mithali. She could become the first female cricketer to receive the award to add to the Arjuna award she received in 2003 and 2015 Padma Shri.

It was way back in 1999 when a 17-year-old Mithali Raj scored a hundred on her international debut. She was the youngest woman to score an international century till 16-year-old Irish batter Amy Hunter broke the record this very month. Since then Raj has gone on to become one of the best cricketers in the world. 

Her contribution to women's cricket in India is unparalleled. She has led India to two World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017. She is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 7,000 run mark in W-ODI matches. Raj also holds the record for most half-centuries in WODIs. In 2018 became the first player from India (man or woman) to reach 2000 runs in T20Is.

Also read: T20 World Cup preview: Sri Lanka take on Australia in match no 10

Now at the age of 38 with all this legacy behind her, Mithali Raj is still chasing her dream of winning a World Cup for her country. Raj will captain India in the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand to try and win India it's first ever Women's World Cup. Mithali Raj has now retired from T20Is but continues to captain India in Test and ODIs.

For the longest time Mithali Raj along with teammate Jhulan Goswami were the only two well known cricketers in India. Now women's cricket has gained popularity in India and people follow and support the team. Mithali Raj has seen the transition up close from cricketers having to search for their own sponsors and gears to now BCCI coming into the picture so that players can concentrate on the game and not worry about other things. 

Other recommended athletes include Neeraj Chopra (Athletics),Ravi Dahiya (Wrestling), PR Sreejesh (Hockey), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), Sunil Chettri (Football), Mithali Raj (Cricket), Pramod Bhagat (Badminton), Sumit Antil (Athletics), Avani Lekhara (Shooting), Krishna Nagar (Badminton),Manish Narwal (Shooting).

New Delhi, Oct 27 (Sports news) Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games, and silver medal-winning wrestler Ravi Dahiya were on Wednesday recommended for the Khel Ratna as an unprecedented 11 athletes were selected for the country's highest sporting honour.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, seasoned hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and woman cricket Test skipper Mithali Raj were also recommended for the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna by the selection committee.

Iconic Sunil Chhetri also became the country's first footballer to be selected for the honour.

Last year, five athletes were picked for the award while four were selected after the 2016 Rio Games.

The announcement of the national sports awards was delayed in order to consider the performance of the para-athletes in the Tokyo Paralympics (August 24 to September 5).

Shooter Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal, javelin thrower Sumit Antil and shuttlers Pramod Bhagat and Krishna Nagar, who all have won a gold each in the Tokyo Paralympics, completed the list of those recommended for the Khel Ratna. The committee also picked 35 athletes for the Arjuna award, eight more than last year's number of awardees.

Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, para TT player Bhavina Patel, para shuttler Suhas Yathiraj and high jumper Nishad Kumar are among those selected for the Arjuna award.

Members of the men's hockey team that won a historic bronze in the Olympics will also receive Arjuna award.

Also Read : Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and other Tokyo Games participants felicitated by JSW Sports

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 26 (Boxing news) Olympic bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain and five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa are in contention to be Asia's representatives in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) athletes committee, which will be formed through voting during the world championships for men and women.

The men's showpiece is currently in progress in Belgrade, where Thapa is competing in the 63.5kg category. The Assam boxer is a former bronze-winner at the event.

The women's event is planned for December in Turkey and Borgohain will compete there after being picked for the squad on the basis of her Tokyo Olympics performance. She has previously won two bronze medals in the marquee tournament.

AIBA received 34 nominations from five confederations, of which 27 were found to be eligible by its ethics committee.

If any of the two Indians is elected, it would ensure the country's presence in the panel for a second successive time after veteran L Sarita Devi, a former world champion, made it unopposed in 2019 during the tenure of interim president Mohamed Moustahsane.

The Asian bloc's contenders include three women and four men.

Borgohain will be challenged by North Korea's Pang Chol Mih, a former world champion and two-time Asian-medallist, and Kazakhstan's Nayzm Kyzaibay, a two-time world champion and the reigning Asian gold-medallist.

Thapa will be up against reigning Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan, Pakistan's Awais Ali Khan, and Kazakhstan's Ablaikhan Zhussupov, a two-time world and Asian Championships medal winner.

"The Athletes Committee will be composed of 10 people, with the newly-elected Chair and Vice-Chair becoming voting members of the AIBA Board of Directors," the AIBA stated.

One male and one female member from each confederation will be elected by the registered boxers who are/will be in attendance at the world championships.

"Each election shall be conducted by a secret ballot. AIBA shall decide if electronic or paper ballots shall be used," the world body said.

The term of office of the athletes committee members will be until the 2025 World Championships, a much longer run than what the previous panel got.

During their term, the members of the Committee would expected to work to ensure that the views and opinions of boxers are represented within AIBA.

"One of the tasks of the new members of the Committee will be working with and supporting AIBA's mission to develop and promote the sport of boxing everywhere," AIBA President Umar Kremlev said.

"Considering the challenges we are overcoming at the moment, we truly need people who are ready to fight for a brighter future of our beloved sport. And who can fight better than boxers themselves? "At AIBA, we value everyone's input in our reforms. In the end, all of our work is on behalf of boxers and those who support them. So it is vital for us to hear what the boxers have to say," he added.

Also Read : Boxing World C'ship: Akash Sangwan wins opening bout

News Source : PTI

Hisar, Oct 20 (Boxing news) Olympians Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Pooja Rani (81kg) headline a strong field for the National Women's Boxing Championship, which will double up as a selection trial for the world championships, starting here on Thursday.

The tournament, which is being conducted in association with Haryana Boxing Sangh, will see participation of more than 320 boxers from 36 States/UTs/Boards from across the country.

Apart from Simranjit (60kg) and Pooja (81kg), who is the reigning Asian champion, 2019 World Championships bronze-medallist Jamuna Boro (54kg), defending champion Pwilao Basumatary (60kg) and Asian Championships bronze medallist Jaismine (60kg) will be seen presenting strong challenges.

The federation has announced that gold winners from the event will be selected for the world championships, except for Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who has been given direct place in the squad based on her Tokyo performance.

Veteran M C Mary Kom has decided not to compete.

Reigning youth world champions -- Manipur's Babyrojisana Naorem (54kg), Sanamacha Thokchom (75kg) and Rajasthan's Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) -- will also be seen in action in the tournament, which will be played till October 27.

The opening ceremony will take place on Thursday which will be attended by Deputy Commissioner, Hisar Dr Priyanka Soni as chief guest alongside BFI General Secretary Hemanta Kumar Kalita and Treasurer Digvijay Singh.

The championships will be played as per the AIBA's 12 weight divisions -- 48kg, 50kg, 52kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63kg, 66kg, 70kg, 75kg, 81kg and +81kg.

The gold and silver medallists of the championships will also earn themselves places in the national coaching camp.

The remaining two names for the camp in each category will be selected on the basis of performances in selection trials, which will take place right after the nationals.

In the last edition of the championships held in Kannur, Kerala in 2019, Railways had clinched the team championship title with six gold medals while Haryana finished the runners-up.

Also Read : Mary Kom to skip Nationals

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 18 (Boxing news) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom will not compete in the upcoming National Women's Boxing Championships in Hisar.

The 38-year-old, who reached the pre-quarters of Tokyo Olympics before bowing out with a hard-fought loss, is, however, training for the world championships in December.

Even though the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has announced that only gold medal winners from the Nationals will make the squad, it is reliably learnt that trials could be held in a couple of weight categories, including the 48kg division, which Mary Kom would prefer to compete in.

The national championships will be held in Hisar from October 21.

Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) has been given direct selection for the world event based on her Tokyo performance. She will also be skipping the domestic showpiece.

Mary Kom, a multiple-time Asian gold-medallist, has not competed since the Tokyo Games and a federation source said, she would have given the Nationals a shot if the announcement on world championship selection had come sooner.

The BFI's decision of picking only national gold-winners for the world championships was announced on October 5.

"She would have competed had she known about this earlier. She would have prepared accordingly," the federation said.

The other two Tokyo Olympians, Simranjeet Kaur (60kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg), will be competing at the nationals.

The women's boxing world championships will be held in Istanbul in early December and will offer a total prize money of USD 2.6 million, same amount as marked for the men's event, due to start on October 24 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Also Read : Boxing: Tokyo Olympics star Lovlina Borgohain gets direct entry in Indian team for World C'ship

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 11 (Boxing news) Commonwealth Games medal-winners M Suranjoy Singh and L Devendro Singh, whose stellar boxing careers were cut short by injuries, have been roped in as coaches for men by the national federation ahead of this month's world championships.

The 29-year-old Devendro and the 35-year-old Suranjoy are among 14 coaches that have been short-listed for the national camp in Patiala, starting this week. The mega-event, featuring over 600 boxers from more than 100 countries, begins on October 24 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The other prominent names in the coaching staff are head coach Narender Rana, former junior coach M S Dhaka, the seasoned Dharmendra Yadav and former boxers Diwakar Parsad and Torak Kharpan among others. The development was confirmed to PTI by BFI Secretary General Hemanta Kalita.

Interestingly, both Suranjoy and Devendro have trained under Dhaka at the junior level.

While Suranjoy is a gold-medallist from the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2009 Asian Championships, Devendro won a silver in the CWG and made the pre-quarters of the Olympic Games in London, 2012.

Suranjoy had been named an assistant coach in 2017 as well but he could not accept the position due to some personal issues.

"The last time I was named, there were family problems, abhi sab theek han, join kar lenge," the Manipuri, who won a sensational eight consecutive international gold medals during a stupendous run from 2009 to 2010 before a knee injury hampered his career, told PTI.

"The world championship is going to be a challenging assignment given that the weight categories have been rejigged but we are up for it, and hopefully we can get some good results," he added.

Devendro, a world championships quarterfinalist and an Asian championships silver-medallist, was excited as well.

"I finally get a chance to put to use what I have learnt for all these years, I hope I can make it count. It is an honour," said the soft-spoken Manipuri, whose eye sight problems and a debilitating knee injury ensured an early end to his career as a boxer.

Devendro completed his coaching Diploma from Patiala's National Institute of Sports in 2020.

Both Suranjoy and Devendro are part of the Services Sports Control Board, which dominated the National Championships last month, winning eight gold medals.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) had earlier decided to replace men's chief coach C A Kuttappa with Army Sports Institute's Rana ahead of the mega-event in Serbia, which is also set to mark the end of High Performance Director Santiago Nieva's tenure.

A former Asian Championship bronze-medallist and a four-time national champion, the 49-year-old Rana has been a seasoned coach with the Services Sports Control Board.

He has trained the likes of world championship medal winners Amit Panghal and Manish Kaushik at various stages of their careers.

Rana has been based at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, the place credited with discovering stars such as Suranjoy, Vikas Krishan, Shiva Thapa and Devendro among others.

Kuttappa remains a part of the set-up though as the federation has named him the coach coordinator.

The development continues the churning in Indian boxing after the Tokyo Olympics performance, which was dubbed underwhelming by the national federation.

Already, women's High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco has left after not getting an extension in his contract. Women's head coach Mohd Ali Qamar could also be replaced.

India had its biggest ever boxing team -- five men and four women -- competing at the Games in July-August, of whom only Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) could finish on the podium with a bronze medal.

It was the country's first boxing medal at the Games in nine years, but more was expected given the top form the pugilists had shown leading up to the showpiece.

Also Read : AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Belgrade to have 105 participating countries

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 9 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India has decided to replace men's chief coach C A Kuttappa with Army Sports Institute's Narender Rana ahead of this month's world championship, which is also set to mark the end of High Performance Director Santiago Nieva's tenure.

A former Asian Championship bronze-medallist and a four-time national champion, the 49-year-old Rana has been a seasoned coach with the Services Sports Control Board.

He has trained the likes of world championship medal winners Amit Panghal and Manish Kaushik at various stages of their careers.

He has been based at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, the place credited with discovering stars such as M Suranjoy Singh, Vikas Krishan, Shiva Thapa and L Devendro Singh, among others.

The development was confirmed to PTI by Kuttappa.

"Yes, Mr Rana will take over from me. I remain a part of the coaching staff although not as chief coach," he said.

The development continues the churning in Indian boxing after the Tokyo Olympics performance, which was dubbed underwhelming by the national federation. Already, women's High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco has left after not getting an extension in his contract.

The women's head coach Mohd Ali Qamar could also be replaced.

India had its biggest ever boxing team -- five men and four women -- competing at the Games in July-August, of whom only Lovlina Borgohain could finish on the podium with a bronze medal.

It was the country's first boxing medal at the Games in nine years, but more was expected given the top form the pugilists had shown leading up to the showpiece.

Kuttappa took over as head coach for men in 2018. He is a Dronacharya awardee and has been a part of the support staff during some major milestones in Indian boxing including the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze by Vijender Singh.

Nieva was appointed in 2017 and has been granted an extension till the world championships to ensure continuity.

"In all likelihood, he will not continue after that," said a federation source.

The mega-event starts on October 24 in Belgrade, Serbia and the Indian squad comprises, among others, Asian medallists Deepak Kumar (51kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) and Sanjeet (92kg).

The tournament is just days away but there is still no clarity on when the national camp would start ahead of the boxers' departure on October 20.

Also Read : AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Belgrade to have 105 participating countries

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Oct 5 (Boxing news) Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) has been handed direct qualification for the upcoming women's world boxing championships by the Indian federation, which has decided that the remaining squad will be made up of gold-winners from the upcoming nationals.

The national championships will be held in Hisar from October 21 and just like the recently concluded men's event, the champions will make the cut for the worlds' squad.

"The gold-medallists in each weight category will represent India in the AIBA women's world championship except 69kg (as) Tokyo Olympics bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain will see direct qualification for the world championships," the Boxing Federation of India stated.

Apart from this, the gold and silver-winners from the nationals will also secure their place in the national camp. The bronze-winners will fight it out in trials featuring medallists from the previous three editions of the tournament for a place in the camp.

The 24-year-old is now set to skip the national tournament after securing a place in the squad based on her Tokyo performance.

The women's world championship is to be held in December in Istanbul. The exact dates for the marquee competition are yet to be decided.

Men's camp for world championship awaits start: ============================== The men's camp for the world championship, slated from October 24 in Belgrade, Serbia is yet to take off.

A Federation source said that it could kick off in the next couple of days in Patiala amid continuing brain-storming over the coaching staff and who among the support staff will travel with the team to Belgrade.

"Time is fast running out. Hopefully things will get moving in the next two days," the source said.

The BFI has made it clear that the coaching staff of both the men and women campers is set for a revamp in the next couple of months.

The review is being done in the backdrop of the Tokyo Olympics performance in which none of the male boxers could make the medal rounds.

Also Read : AIBA announces Women’s World Boxing Championships; competition to take place in Istanbul in early December 2021

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 28 (Boxing News) Indian women's boxing's High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco has decided to head back to his home in Italy after spending nearly a month here "waiting" for the national federation to respond to his queries on whether he would be "retained".

Bergamasco's contract officially ends on Wednesday and the 50-year-old, who joined in 2017, told PTI that he is exhausted and stressed after getting no response from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

"I will go home now. I will wait for the BFI to respond to me in the next two weeks on my status before the women's national championship happens in mid-October. I am very stressed and in a bad situation," he said.

"If they call me, I will come back on October 15 before the Nationals and if they don't, then I will decide what to do next. I will send an e-mail like I have been doing," he added.

"I have no bitterness, I just want some communication." The BFI had sought a three-month extension for Bergamasco and his men's team counterpart Santiago Nieva. However, the Italian is not keen on a short-term renewal of his contract.

The BFI has said that a decision on further extension would be taken based on the performances in the upcoming world championships for men (in October) and women (in December).

Bergamasco would be leaving for his home base Assisi on Thursday. He said only the Sports Authority of India (SAI) got in touch with him after he sent out several e-mails seeking clarity over his status.

"The SAI got back to me and told me that they are waiting for the BFI to take a call and cannot say anything beyond that. I have been in my room at the Indira Gandhi Stadium for the last one month and I think I need to go back to my family," he said.

The women boxers will reassemble for a full-fledged camp only after the national championships.

A federation source told PTI that the BFI will submit a report to SAI on its Tokyo Olympics review by September 30 and a decision on all matters will be taken only after that.

"Once that report goes to SAI, we will be able to communicate," the source said.

Both Bergamasco and Nieva have expressed their desire to continue despite the current uncertainty.

India had its biggest ever boxing team -- five men and four women -- competing at the Olympic Games in July-August. But only Lovlina Borgohain (69kg)could finish on the podium with a bronze medal.

It was India's first boxing medal at the Games in nine years, but more was expected given the top form the pugilists had shown leading up to the showpiece.

None of the male boxers could make the medal rounds with Satish Kumar (+91kg) being the only one to enter the quarterfinals in Tokyo, earning plaudits for fighting his last-eight bout with 13 stitches on the face.

The source said that BFI, as of now, is sticking to its position, taken after the Olympics, of offering a three months' extension to Nieva and Bergamasco to ensure continuity for the two big events, where the national champions will represent the country.

Their contracts were originally meant to end after the Tokyo Games.

BFI president Ajay Singh had backed the boxers as well as the coaching staff in Tokyo, saying that he would not overlook the unparalleled results of the past four years which included two medals for the first time at the men's World Championships and never-seen-before hauls in the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Federation sources had recently hinted that there could be an overhaul of the coaching staff for both men and women as there is "dissatisfaction" with the Tokyo Olympics performance.

Also Read : AIBA World Boxing Championships to allow spectators

News Source : PTI

New Delhi, Sep 14 (Boxing News) Indian boxing's coaching staff could be "completely overhauled" in the next three months depending on how the world championships pan out, a national federation source has told PTI, revealing that there is "dissatisfaction" with the Tokyo Olympics performance.

It is reliably learnt that the two High Performance Directors Santiago Nieva (for men) and Raffaele Bergamasco (for women) along with the national head coaches C A Kuttappa (men) and Mohammed Ali Qamar (women) are under intense scrutiny at this point.

India had its biggest ever boxing team -- five men and four women -- competing at the Games in July-August, of whom only Lovlina Borgohain could finish on the podium with a bronze medal.

It was the country's first boxing medal at the Games in nine years, but more was expected given the top form the pugilists had shown leading up to the showpiece.

"Nobody (in the federation) is happy with the Olympic performance. So, as was promised, a review is on and it will be a long drawn process, which will take a couple of months. Nothing is changing till the two world championships are done with," a top source told PTI.

"Who knows, there could be complete overhaul after that but we will have to wait and watch for two-three months," he said when asked whether the coaching staff is set for a revamp.

The men's world championship will be held in Serbia from October 26, while the women's competition is scheduled for December.

The Boxing Federation of India has granted three months' extension to Nieva and Bergamasco to ensure continuity for the two big events, where the national champions will represent the country. Their contracts were originally meant to end after the Tokyo Games.

The men's Nationals start on Wednesday in Bellary, Karnataka while the women's event is set for mid-October.

The developments are in line with BFI President Ajay Singh's assertions during the Games when he had ruled out any knee-jerk reaction but promised a review nonetheless.

None of the male boxers could make the medal rounds with Satish Kumar (+91kg) being the only one to enter the quarterfinals in Tokyo, earning plaudits for fighting his last-eight bout with 13 stitches on his face.

"A lot will depend on the world championships, let's see how they go," the source said.

However, the BFI has started meeting some prospective candidates and one standout name to have got an audience with Singh is Cuba's B I Fernandez, who coached the men's team for over a decade and became the first foreign recipient of the Dronacharya award in 2012.

Fernandez, along with the now-retired Gurbaax Singh Sandhu, were at the helm of men's boxing when India won its maiden Olympic medal in the sport in 2008.

"I have had discussions with the BFI for the women's team role and they have asked me to submit my action plan. I will do that in the next couple of weeks," the 66-year-old, who coaches at Mohali's Punjab Sports University, told PTI.

The BFI source confirmed the development.

"He was brought here by a couple of our boxers and he has been asked to present his vision but this is all a part of the review that is going on. It will take a while for anything to materialise," he said.

Both Nieva, hailing from Sweden, and Bergamasco, who is an Italian, have expressed their desire to continue in the past but also acknowledged the pressure they are under.

The 47-year-old Nieva is a member of the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) coaches committee and vice president of the Asian Boxing Confederation's (ASBC) coaches committee.

Kuttappa, who has been a part of the national camp for long, took over as men's head coach in 2018, while Ali Qamar came on board a year later.

The BFI president had backed the boxers as well as the coaching staff in Tokyo, saying that he would not overlook the unparalleled results of the past four years which included two medals for the first time at the men's World Championships and never-seen-before hauls in the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Also Read : Tokyo Olympians set to skip National Boxing Championships

News Source : PTI

Vijayanagar (Karnataka), Sep 12 (Sports news): Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was among a host of Tokyo Games participants who were felicitated by sports NGO, JSW Sports here.

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia (bronze) and Ravi Dahiya (silver) were also felicitated along with the men’s hockey team, which was represented by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, at a ceremony at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary on Saturday.

Mirabai Chanu (silver, weightlifting), Lovlina Borgohain (bronze, boxing) and PV Sindhu (bronze, badminton) couldn't attend the event.

Other eight Tokyo Games participants who trained at the IIS were also felicitated. They are Sreeshankar Murali (Long jumper), Sushila Devi (Judoka), Vikas Krishan Yadav (Boxer), Satish Kumar (Boxer), Ashish Kumar (Boxer), Annu Rani (Javelin thrower), Avinash Sable (3000m steeplechase) and Seema Bisla (wrestler).

The athletes were presented Rs 2.5 crore in total as a goodwill gesture by JSW for bringing laurels to the country, a release said.

"I am sure my gold medal is just the start of global success that athletes from here are bound to achieve," Chopra said.

Also read: JSW Group announces cash rewards for all Tokyo Olympic medallist

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Sep 7 (Boxing news) The Boxing Federation of India has sought a three-month extension for its foreign coaches, whose contracts were expiring this month, saying a review will be done after the World Championships for men and women later this year.

Indian boxing has two foreign recruits in men's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva of Sweden and his women's team counterpart Rafaelle Bergamasco from Italy. Both of them came on board in 2017 and their contracts were to end after the Tokyo Olympics.

"We have sought a three-month extension (from the Sports Authority of India) for both of them. The men's World Championship is due next month and the women's one is scheduled some time in December, we want continuity," Boxing Federation of India Secretary General Hemanta Kalita told PTI.

The decision was taken at the BFI's Executive Committee meeting recently.

"Our review of the Olympic performance is still an ongoing process and we would take a decision on any further extension after the two World Championships," Kalita explained.

"This is going to take some time. An extension will ensure that our preparations are not disrupted. There is very little time in hand," he said.

An unprecedented nine Indian boxers, five men and four women, qualified for the Tokyo Games of which only Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) could finish on the podium with a bronze medal.

Among the men, only Satish Kumar (+91kg) could reach the quarterfinals, while four others, including world number one Amit Panghal (52kg), lost in their opening round bouts.

BFI President had backed both the boxers as well as the coaching staff, saying that he he cannot overlook the unparalleled results of the past four years which included two medals for the first time at the men's World Championships and never-before-seen hauls in the Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Both Nieva and Bergamasco have expressed the desire to continue.

The 47-year-old Nieva is a member of the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) coaches committee and Vice President of the Asian Boxing Confederation's (ASBC) coaches committee.

Kalita also informed that after men's National Championship from September 15, the BFI will conduct the women's national event in the second week of October.

Also read: National Boxing gold-winners to make team for World Championships; Head Guards brought back

"The dates will be finalised in some days but the window would second week of October. We plan hold the tournament in Hisar in Haryana. The World Championships are due in December so that window is perfect to have the Nationals," he said.

Both the men's and women's National Championships could not be held last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gold medal winners of the men's Nationals will qualify for the World Championships. 

News source: PTI

Boxing in India is still at a ‘growing’ stage where opportunities are limited but the talent is prevalent. The likes of Vijender Singh, Mary Kom, Shiva Thapa, Akhil Kumar and more recently Lovlina Borgohain have played an integral role in the promotion of the sport in India and have inspired generations to come to dream of a career in this field. With more and more sportspersons taking up boxing professionally, the future has never looked brighter than it does today.

In this exclusive interview with SPOGO, professional boxer Akashdeep Singh speaks about his journey so far, getting support and assistance from IPBA, the involvement of Mr. Kamal Mujtaba, overcoming challenges and his future goals.

Q 1)  How old were you when you started boxing and what motivated you to take it up professionally?

I started boxing on 7th August 2012, my main motivation was my grandfather who was in the army and he was also a boxer in Nashik. That inspired my father who wanted me to become a boxer. It all started from home, boxing requires a lot of sportsmanship spirit and I wanted to achieve something for myself. In the ring you face your opponent just like facing the problems in life.

Q 2) As a professional boxer, what kind of support and assistance do you expect from IPBA?

The main problem for every athlete is diet, if diet is taken care of then athletes can focus on the other aspects and improve on their performance. If we get nutritional assistance like supplements, it goes a long way in helping a sportsperson grow.



Q 3) How has Mr. Kamal Mujtaba shaped you as a professional boxer?

In the beginning I had no idea how to start professional boxing because it was a new concept for India. I used to ask around for advice but nobody had any answers. When I got in touch with Kamal Mujtaba sir he saw potential in me and motivated me. Even though we are very far apart from each other as I'm in Gurgaon and he is based in Bangalore, he keeps in touch with me via normal calls or video calls to give advice and sometimes even comes to meet me. The best thing about him is that he gives me the assurance to keep going and I always feel his constant support.

Also read: I want all Indian boxers to have the right guidance to succeed in this sport - Boxing coach Mujtaba Kamal

Q 4) What are some of the challenges that you had to face while becoming a professional boxer and How did you overcome them?

There are a lot of training centers in India and they have coaches as well but many coaches don't have proper knowledge, which is the main difficulty for any athlete. In India, a lot of places have an attitude of come, practice for the sake of it and go. There is no care for what the athlete or student wants to do, if he wants to train today or get some counseling. Other problems are diet, personal family problems and financial situations which we have to face and make the most out of our talent at the same time, because there is not that much scope for sportsmen in India. We have to face challenges from all sides and our families also worry about the career path that we have chosen and what will happen. That is why apart from training there are a lot more things that need to be provided to athletes. Getting sponsors is also a big issue for me. Apart from training, competition is also necessary and every place does not have competition because where I come from professional boxing is not well known.

Q 5) Who were some of your boxing idols while growing up and how did they inspire you?

I don’t actually have a boxing idol, I tend to follow everyone and watch their videos online. If I like someone's boxing movement then I try to emulate it as much as I can. I try not to specifically follow someone because everyone has different styles. If I follow a particular individual boxer's style then I will be successful only in the short run, not in the long run. My gameplan is to observe each and every boxer be it female, male or even junior boxers.

Q 6) What are your future goals and ambitions and how do you plan to achieve them?

My main motive is to win a title fight outside India at a good level where I can represent my country internationally. The concept of pro boxing in India is relatively new as it has been introduced two or three years ago but the people aren’t aware of it, the audience who have heard or even seen pro boxing in movies tend to compare it. My motivation is also to raise boxing awareness amongst the Indian audience and most importantly show them proper boxing techniques. All of this is only possible if I can fight internationally and get people to see me.

Mumbai, Aug 12 (Olympic news) The JSW Group on Thursday announced cash awards for India's Tokyo Olympic medallists and their support staff with Rs one crore reserved for Neeraj Chopra, who became the country's first track and field athlete to win a gold.

India produced its best ever performance at the recently concluded Tokyo Games where country's athletes won seven medals, including a gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

Javelin thrower Chopra secured India's second individual gold in Olympic history with a sensational performance.

"Neeraj Chopra will be awarded Rs 1 crore cash grant while his coach Klaus Bartonietz and Physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha will be awarded Rs 10 lakhs each," a media release stated.

Silver medallists weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who opened India's account on the first day of competitions, and wrestler Ravi Dahiya, who became only the second grappler from the country to win a silver will get 20 lakhs each while their coaches Vijay Sharma and Satpal Singh will receive Rs 5 lakh each.

The bronze medallists -- wrestler Bajrang Punia, boxer Lovlina Borgohain and shuttler P V Sindhu -- will get Rs 15 lakh each.

Also read: PV Sindhu’s journey to become the first Indian woman with two Olympic medals and what it represents

"Bajrang Punia will be awarded Rs 15 lakhs while his coach Emzarios Bentinidis & Physiotherapist Manish Chetri will be awarded Rs 5 lakhs each." "P V Sindhu will be awarded Rs 15 lakh while her coach Park Tae-Sang will be awarded Rs 5 lakhs.

"Lovlina Borgohain will be awarded Rs 15 lakhs while her coaches Raffaele Bergamasco and Sandhya Gurung will be awarded Rs 5 lakhs each," the release stated.

The members of the men's hockey team which won its first Olympic medal in 41 years will get Rs 2 lakhs each along with head coach Graham Reid, head physio and assistant coach.

"A grant of Rs 1 lakhs each will also be awarded to 4 other Coaching Staff." Parth Jindal, Founder of Inspire Institute of Sport and JSW Sports said “These Indian athletes created history for India at Tokyo Olympics 2020 in more ways than one.

"This year’s performance has been the tipping point for India to acknowledge and recognize our sporting achievement and potential on a global stage. I am confident that we can expect India to perform even better at Paris 2024," he added.

News source: PTI

With the Tokyo Olympics having recently concluded, Indian boxers for the most part would have been left with a bitter aftertaste after an underwhelming performance. Out of the nine unprecedented boxers at Japan’s capital, only one (Lovlina Borgohain) secured a bronze medal while notable names such as Mary Kom, Amit Panghal, Ashish Kumar and Simranjit Kaur fell short. It’s fair to wonder what needs to change at the grassroots for India to become more competitive in professional boxing, especially at the highest level.

To learn more about India’s professional boxing scenario, coach Mujtaba Kamal sheds light on his career, scouting for Indian talent, overcoming challenges and his expectations and goals for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Q 1) You were pursuing boxing in the mid-2000’s, how much of an impact did injuries have for you to give up your dreams and choose a career as a fitness boxing coach?

I started professional boxing in 2012, after I played amatuer boxing for almost 13 years before that. I moved to Hong Kong, China to turn professional and then I had a few fights against Samoa boxers and Hong Kong boxers but that is not recorded in the BoxRec. BoxRec is basically a record book which has records of all the boxing fights for example if you search Muhommed Ali, the website shows you his number of matches, wins, losses, draws, knockouts. I fought a professional fight in 2012 and then I found a promoter from China, after which I suffered a jaw fracture. The concept of professional boxing is not there in India  which is why I had to move abroad. In professional boxing, you have an entire team which includes a coach, manager, matchmaker, promoter but I didn’t have a team at the beginning, I used to coach myself and ask people to give me a chance to fight which is the reason I couldn't succeed as a professional boxer. My main goal after that has been to structure professional boxing in India as I was on a 1 month bed rest after my jaw fracture, the day I got up is when I decided that professional boxing needs to have a structure in India. I wanted to give other people the chance I couldn't get because I wasn’t guided. I want all Indian boxers to have the right guidance to succeed in this sport. As of now I have 70 Professional boxers with me and most of them are 1st rankers in India.

Q 2) What do you look for in an aspiring boxer that will give you an indication of their talent?

A professional boxer needs to have a hardcore style with good feet movement, the foundation has to be strong. So I see the boxer's style first to judge his potential and overall talent. I observe his amatuer record because after turning professional many boxers restart their process to make their foundation stronger. I check his achivements in amatuer, national and state level. Apart from that, I look at how much heart and courage the fighter has. Whether he has fear and how much capacity of punches he is able to endure. I check all these through videos of his fights and conversations with his coaches to see if he has what it takes to become a professional.



Q 3) Who are some of the most notable names that have trained under you? How do you use social media to scout for young talent?

I primarily focus on boxing related content on social media to build awareness for boxing and pro-boxing amongst boxers as well as general audience. Social media has been a great tool that helps me to connect with boxers and boxing fans. Many boxers reach out to through Instagram for guidance, especially those who want to turn pro. Surprisingly, many people who are doing boxing for fitness right now are keen on starting their professional career which would be technically very difficult but it’s good to see that boxing is getting more popular day by day. Earlier, if I saw someone's name in BoxRec and ametuer records, then first and foremost I check their Instagram before anything else but most of the Indian boxers are active on Instagram but not too much, which is why you don’t get an idea about their impact. Now, I personally contact people and ask for videos. I also research about them and ask around. Faizan Anwar is one of our boxers who we have moved to Dubai under Round 10 and D4G boxing promotions and currently is managed by Jose Mohan and me. There aren’t many training facilities in India for boxing so he has moved to Dubai. There he has another management team and all of us together are managing him. There are other boxers like Satish Karthik, Arshad Asif Khan, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Kaur who are ranked number one in India who are all managed by me.

Also read: From Assam to Tokyo: How Lovlina Borgohain captured a billion hearts with bronze at the Olympics

Q 4) Do you think India can provide a good platform for aspiring boxers, seeing as you had to move to Hong Kong to pursue your professional career?

This is what is happening now, Mandeep Jangra who is an Arjuna Awardee and Asian Championship silver medalist moved to the US because India does not have a proper training platform or structure in professional boxing. I need the sponsor's support and need to build a proper training platform so that I can support India’s B grade boxers. India's top class boxers like Shiva Thapa or others want to turn into professional boxers but India still does not have a structure.

If you look at the Tokyo Olympics, 7 to 8 boxers or maybe even more were a part of the Men’s and Women’s team. In professional boxing a lot of things take place in a year other than training, there is personal management which takes care of the diet, handling social media, improving mental health along with boxing and also financial support for every fight. If we start this culture in India, I am sure we can win more medals in the 2024 Olympics. This time out of 9 boxers, we got 1 medal and can improve this tally next time. Many boxers want to turn professional and amatuer. In amatuer boxing, there is only one event in a year that is the National Championship. The medal winners will be in the Indian camp, any promising boxer who loses in the quarterfinals or earlier has to wait for a year, in the meantime can turn into a professional boxer and can play matches regularly and thus the platform for the boxers will be ready.

Q 5) What are some of the challenges that you have faced, both as a professional boxer and a coach? How did you overcome them?

I did not have much experience as a professional boxer. Having fought 2,3 bouts, I was then affected by an injury. As a professional boxer I did not get many fights and did not receive any guidance, I was doing it by myself. Unlike amateur boxing, we currently don’t have a proper structure and mechanism for professional boxing in India. To succeed in professional boxing, there is a need for strong coaching, management and promotion. Since 2016, AIBA is allowing boxers to compete in both amateur and professional platforms simultaneously, thus bringing a major change in boxing world. It is time for us to learn from developed and leading boxing countries, and focus more on professional boxing. In India since there is no proper management, boxers fail to get good quality bouts, many boxers don’t have the basic foundation in boxing, boxers who are not even district champions turn into professional boxing. Professional boxing is a lot more complex and tougher than amatuer boxing. Experience is a major factor turning into professional boxing, this is one of the major challenges I have faced. Those boxers who I promote just want to fight blindly, they are not aware of the rankings and the experience after the fight. In order to overcome these challenges I want to set up a training academy for professional boxing. Cult has helped me a lot by using their facilities to promote professional boxing from the start, because of them I have over 70 boxers in which some are champion boxers. They also provide nutrition management and strong financial support.

Q 6) Do you believe that some of your trainees will represent India at the 2024 Olympics and hopefully win medals for the country?

Yes, I am sure that there will be individuals who will represent the country at the 2024 Olympic Games. I have been preparing for them since 2019 and it takes years of training. It not only takes individual effort but there is also a lot of teamwork involved. In professional boxing, there will be boxers who have trained under me who will perform very well in the 2024 Olympics and hopefully win a medal as well.

New Delhi, Aug 9 (Olympic news) India's Olympic contingent, including history-making javelin throw gold-medallist Neeraj Chopra, returned to the country on Monday and was received enthusiastically by officials even as a frenzied crowd gathered outside the airport to welcome the heroes of the country's best ever Games campaign.

The athletes were welcomed by a Sports Authority of India delegation headed by its Director General Sandeep Pradhan. Athletics Federation of India head Adille Sumariwala also accompanied him.

The athletes were garlanded and presented with bouquets on arrival and were applauded by the airport staff as they made their way out to utter chaos due to the huge presence of supporters and media personnel.

The huge gathering meant that social distancing norms went for a toss as people rushed in to catch a glimpse of the stars of the historic performance.

Also read: A look at some of the Best Quotes from the Tokyo Olympics 2021

India surpassed their previous best haul of six medals achieved in the 2012 London Games with one gold, two silver and four bronze medals in Tokyo.

While Chopra added the golden sheen to the campaign, the silver medals came from weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya. The bronze medals were claimed by boxer Lovlina Borgohain, shuttler P V Sindhu, the men's hockey team and wrestler Bajrang Punia.

Of the medal winners, Chanu and Sindhu had returned to the country earlier after the completion of their events as COVID-19 protocols required athletes to leave Tokyo within 48 hours of the medal ceremony.

India had sent a 228-strong contingent for the Games, including more than 120 athletes. This was the country's biggest ever presence at the quadrennial showpiece which took place after a delay of one year due to the pandemic.

News Source: PTI 

Florida, (Boxing news) Indian boxer Mandeep Jangra has won his second professional bout by clinching a Technical Knockout against local Devon Lira here.

The 27-year-old, who is a silver medallist from the 2013 Asian Championships and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, turned professional in March this year.

The Indian prevailed in the second round by way of TKO in what was to be a four-round contest in the lightweight (61kg) category.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain looks forward to start afresh in every aspect for Paris 2024 after success in Tokyo

"As an amateur I used to compete in the 69kg category and I have reduced a lot to fit into this division but I am happy with it," he told after his victory on Sunday.

"I have a great team around me in ProBox Promotions and I am very thankful for all the Indian people that support me, not just back home but in the local community in Florida," he said.

He had beaten Argentina's Luciano Ramos in his debut bout in a four-round unanimous decision.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Aug 9 (Olympic news) She had the time of her life in Tokyo with a medal on Olympic debut being the icing on the cake but Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain says all of it is "done and dusted now" and she will start afresh in every aspect of her game for the Paris edition in 2024.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Borgohain, who clinched the welterweight (69kg) bronze, spoke about the hardships she endured to get where she is, the joy of watching the triumph of human spirit at the Games and how her regular life now becomes much more eventful thanks to overnight fame.

The 23-year-old from the tiny Baro Mukhia village of Assam's Golaghat district became only the third Indian boxer to finish on the Olympic podium, joining two of the biggest icons in Indian boxing -- six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and the very decorated Vijender Singh.

She had vowed to touch upon her sacrifices only after her campaign was over and she did exactly that.

"My first sacrifice was to stay away from my home for the past eight years and not being there for my family in times of their problems and watching from a distance. This is the biggest sacrifice," she said.

"Personally, I have sacrificed some desires that youngsters like me would have. For example not eating things that so many others of my age eat (fast food), I wouldn't take leave from training to concentrate on the game. And this continued for eight years," she revealed.

She does plan to take a holiday now that the job is done before getting down to prepare herself for a better medal in Paris in three years from now.

"This Olympics is done and dusted. I will have to start afresh in every aspect, not just one," she said, when asked what changes she would make to her technique after the Tokyo campaign.

Would those changes include additional strength in her punches, which despite being accurate, seemed to be slightly low on power, especially in the semifinal loss to reigning world and now Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey? "It is not like strength and conditioning hasn't been worked on. It was being done. You can say it was not up to the level of what it should have been ideally. I could work on my strength and conditioning only in the last four months of what was a four-year cycle.

"I was benefitted by the work but for something as big as Olympics, four months is not enough. Uss se kuch nahi hota, you need such work in a four-year cycle," she explained.

Borgohain defeated former world champion Nien-Chin Chen in the quarterfinals to reach the semi-final and with that triumph, she also beat the fear, which she experienced previously before stepping into the ring.

The pent up emotions finally came out in the form of an ear-splitting scream when her hand was raised by the referee.

"For so many years, several emotions were just inside me, I had internalised them. But in this Olympics, when I realised the support that I was getting from the country every time I was stepping in the ring and landing any punch, that scream was an ode to that support and emotion," she explained.

"It was an expression of my own pent up emotions and also an ode to the support that I got," the youngster said.

The quarterfinal win was one of the two special memories that, Borgohain said, will remain with her for the rest of her life.

The other being the first ever shared gold medal in the Games in which she saw the triumph of human values.

"The best memory is that I finally managed to beat a boxer who had beaten me four time before coming here. To beat her at the Olympics is a special moment of my career.

"Second was the gold medal shared by Qatar and Italy in the high jump. It showed that humanity is alive and sport is the only medium which can connect two different countries like this, two human beings like that," she said.

Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim of Qatar shared the honours after both cleared the same height of 2.37 meters in men's high jump. It was Barshim who offered to share the top prize with Tamberi, his good friend, despite officials offering a jump off to decide the winner.

High jump allows sharing of the gold if both athletes agree and Tamberi and Barshim became the first set in over a 100 years to agree to that.

"No matter how hard somebody tries to cause frictions, sports can bring everyone together, I learnt this while watching that moment," Borgohain said.

The youngster, who started out as a kick-boxer, had a rough build-up to the Games, enduring a bout of COVID-19 while battling the anxiety of her mother's kidney transplant last year.

Borgohain couldn't be there when the surgery took place as she was training at the national camp and COVID ensured that she missed a crucial training trip to Italy.

Was there ever a moment when she felt it was too much to deal with? "Difficulties of my life are not a story of last few months, they have been there for eight years. I am sure they will be there even going forward. I have never lost hope and will never do so either.

"I have always felt confident of facing adversity and that will never change," she asserted.

Someone who likes to meditate to keep calm, Borgohain also felt that mental health assistance is not needed to battle challenges if one has self belief.

"If you have faith in yourself, then I don't think you need mental health assistance," she said.

Finally, her life has changed drastically in a matter of days. Despite being a two-time world championship medallist, it is this Olympic bronze that has made Borgohain a household name.

Distinctly Aware of the spotlight she will be under, Borgohain said she will learn from the experiences of several other achievers to conduct herself well as a public figure.

"There are a lot of role models in India who have taken the burden of expectations on their shoulders. I would take a cue from how they manage themselves to perform my duties," she said.

"I will not change myself, I would change the colour of my medal. I would always remain a student of boxing," she signed off.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 8 (Olympic news) It started with a bang, tapered off in the middle and then ended with the kind of spectacular fireworks that make historic events grand. India was quite literally on a roller-coaster during the Tokyo Olympics.

So, there was the first medal in track-and-field which also happened to be the first gold in 13 years, the first medal in hockey in 41 years, the first silver in weightlifting, the first boxing medal in nine years, the first woman with two Olympic medals, the most number of debutants ending up on the podium, and the most number of medals ever won, it all happened in one single Games for India.

And it all happened at the Games which carried the tag of troubled long before the opening ceremony, thanks to the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic. It all happened after one year of shutdown that sent most training and competition schedules haywire.

Mighty impressive? No, it was way more than that.

India's campaign at the Olympic Games was as much a story of human resilience as of sporting excellence and it came to the fore on the opening day of competitions itself starting with Mirabai Chanu.

The Manipuri weightlifter stands a mere 4'11" but lifted 202kg (87+115) to fetch a silver and put India on the medals tally, showing the world why size doesn't and shouldn't matter.

Also read: Mirabai Chanu an inspiration for the future generations to come

In her moment of glory, the phenomenal weightlifter was a personification of perseverance. She had left the same stage in tears and dejection five years ago, failing to log a single legal lift.

And there she was smiling ear to ear on July 24 becoming India's first silver-medallist in weightlifting.

It was just the kind of start that the country needed but what followed was a lull.

Some top contenders bowed out without making an impact, the biggest disappointment being the 15-strong shooting contingent.

A lot many questions about their preparations came up after only one, Saurabh Chaudhary, managed to make the finals and none could get on the podium.

Nobody had a clear answer as to what went wrong even as stories of factionalism, ego battles and petty differences began to crop up from different corners.

It seemed that the Indian campaign had hit the disaster note early and would not be able to recover.

But along came P V Sindhu and put things back on track with her bronze.

The seasoned Hyderabadi shuttler was looking to better the silver she won in the 2016 Games. She couldn't do that but managed to become the first Indian woman with two Olympic medals.

While she was at it, the two hockey teams also showed stomach for fight after early setbacks.

And in the boxing ring, an heir apparent to the iconic M C Mary Kom began to take shape in Lovlina Borgohain (69kg).

The 23-year-old from Assam ended with a bronze on August 4 as women got down to the task of rebuilding momentum in the Indian camp. And it worked out quite spectacularly.

The very next day, Ravi Kumar Dahiya became only the second Indian wrestler to clinch a silver at the Games but the first to do so on debut.

Hours before that came the long-awaited hockey medal, a bronze worth it's weight and wait in gold.

Manpreet Singh and his inspired teammates scripted a comeback to remember against Germany in the play-off to sow the seeds of hockey's resurgence in the country for a generation that grew up hearing tales of greatness while watching a painful slump in the sport.

There were tears, joy, nostalgia and above all a sense of renewed pride because hockey was India's sport before it declined and cricket took over the mind space.

The stage seemed set for a grand finale and it was with Neeraj Chopra's javelin striking gold, India's first in 13 years overall and the first in athletics.

Bajrang Punia's resolve paid off for him with a bronze on the wrestling mat as the debutant grudgingly accepted the medal after falling out of the expected gold medal contention.

Then there were those who were hit by the curse of the fourth-place finish. Their agony was a story in itself as golfer Aditi Ashok and the women's hockey team ended within touching distance of the podium but not quite there.

So, India's performance at the Games was bigger than the unprecedented seven medals.

It reflected confidence, best personified by Chopra when he owned the Olympic stadium with his self-assured gait during the final in which the 90m man -- the great Johannes Vetter -- wilted.

In Tokyo, the Indians who did well were not surprising anyone, they were living up to the billing earned over the last three years.

Surprise was some of them falling short like the shooters, and the archers.

And in that lay the country's story of progress in sports. India is not quite there yet but is certainly inching closer one step at a time.
News source: PTI

Any sporting achievement is less about the match that won them the medal and more about the journey that shaped a champion. For Lovlina Borgohain, the journey to become an Olympic champion has been far from easy. Her father Tiken Borgohain was a small-scale businessman who struggled to financially support his daughter’s dream, but her prodigious skill was enough to get the attention of Coach Padum Chandra Bodo who taught her the basics of boxing. From there on, there was no looking back.

In the village of Bara Murkhia, the villagers have always faced the challenge of moving in and out of the area, as rainwater would often collect on the path and restrict movements. A young Lovlina Borgohain often crossed the murky mud water on her way to training, a schedule that was often dictated by the weather and rainfall. Despite the obstacles, the now 23 year old is renowned across the world for her boxing prowess, which in turn has transformed her sleepy village into a bustling hive of activity after the government “gifted” her a road built on the muddy track to breathe new life into the place she calls home.

For a girl who was ostracised due to her gender and her parents were accused of having ‘sinned’ which is why they gave birth to a girl, Lovlina has done more for her village than all the others combined. Her parents have been a rock solid support system despite Lovlina’s struggles of adapting to self dependency at an early age. However, these experiences shaped her into the champion we know today who is an inspiration of perseverance to everyone.

Lovlina was brought onto the boxing map in emphatic fashion, she won a gold medal at the inaugural India Open which led to her selection at the  2018 Commonwealth Games welterweight boxing category. She also won a silver medal at the Ulaanbaatar Cup in Mongolia but most importantly, Borgohain won the Arjuna Award presented by President Ram Nath Kovind for her outstanding performance in boxing and is the first female and second boxer from Assam to represent India at the Olympic Games.

It’s said that the Olympic stage is the biggest and toughest of them all, far above any other sporting competition an athlete faces. The competition is fierce, but the glory is timeless and athletes are willing to sacrifice blood, sweat and tears to have their names etched in history books, which is an indication of Lovlina Borgohain’s achievement. She defeated Nadine Apetz of Germany in the primary rounds and Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin to ensure a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. However, she fell short to World Number 1 Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey but the 23 year old has plenty of opportunities to go all the way in Paris and beyond.

While many media outlets claimed that Lovlina Borgohain had “settled” for a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, it seemed quite disrespectful to her fantastic achievement. Winning a bronze is by no means a compromise, especially at a stage such as the Olympics and it takes decades of hard work, perseverance, sacrifices and talent to win a medal at the biggest stage of them all. Her victory is an inspiration to all the girls that dreams come true as long as you put the work in and to always aim higher.

Also read: Disappointed I didn't get gold but will celebrate Olympic bronze with vacation: Lovlina Borgohain

New Delhi, Aug 8 (Olympics news) Edtech major BYJU'S on Sunday announced a cash reward of Rs 2 crore for star India javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra following his gold medal winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics.

The startup also announced Rs 1 crore for each of the other six medallists, who brought laurels to the country at the Games.

"Making further strides into encouraging players across sports disciplines, the company has announced Rs 2 crores for Neeraj Chopra and Rs 1 crore each for Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain, PV Sindhu and Bajrang Punia," a release said.

Chopra on Saturday produced a throw of 87.58m in the finals at the Tokyo Games to claim the country's first track-and-field medal and become only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Olympics.

Also read: J'khand govt announces Rs 50 Lakh each to women's hockey players Salima Tete and Nikki Pradha

His win also took India's medal tally at Tokyo to seven, making it the best ever Games for the country.

"Sports has a critical role to play in nation-building and it’s time that we celebrate our Olympic heroes, not just once in 4 years, but every single day," Byju Raveendran, Founder, and CEO said.

News source :PTI

(Wrestling news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: Bajrang Punia had an outstanding performance in the men's freestyle 65kg bronze medal match, defeating Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan 8-0. In Tokyo, the wrestler gave India its sixth medal. In a brilliant feat, the Indian Wrestler didn’t concede even a single point to his opponent. He fought calmly and aggressively to snatch the medal for India. 

India had won two silver and three bronze medals in Tokyo thus far — Mirabai Chanu and Ravi Dahiya (Silver) and PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, and the Indian men's hockey team (Bronze), one less than their previous best of six in London 2012. India is currently ranked 66th in the medal tally for this edition.

When Neeraj Chopra participates in the men's javelin throw final, all eyes will be on him to deliver India's elusive Olympic medal in athletics and end a 100-year wait. Chopra sparked national excitement by winning the qualification round with a remarkable 86.65m first-round throw.

Also read: Heartbreak for Indian golfer Aditi Ashok as she narrowly misses out on bronze at the Tokyo Olympics
 

Chennai, Aug 4 (Olympics news) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday congratulated boxer Lovlina Borgohain for clinching the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

He noted that the life of the Indian boxer who kept her promise to her mother, serves as a great inspiration to all Indians.

"I am pleased to know that @LovlinaBorgohain, hailing from a small village of Assam, fighting against all odds, won the third medal for India in #Olympics and kept the promise she made to her mother.Her life serves as a great inspiration to all Indians than the #Bronze she won," the Chief Minister tweeted.

Congratulatory messages poured in from several quarters to the 23-year-old boxer who won the bronze medal in women's welterweight category at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.

Also read: Disappointed I didn't get gold but will celebrate Olympic bronze with vacation: Lovlina Borgohain

News source: PTI

Lovlina Borgohain takes home the Bronze in Women’s Boxing

In the Women's Welter (64-69kg) Boxing, India’s Lovlina Borgohain lost her Semifinals match in the Tokyo Olympics. She had assured herself of  a medal after winning the first two matches. She lost to Busenaz Sürmeneli from Turkey 5-0  and will receive the Bronze medal. It is a milestone win for India as she is only the third Indian boxer and the second Woman Boxer to win an Olympic medal.

She has made a mark in this year’s Olympics by finishing third in the podium. This year’s tally has improved from the previous Olympics. In Rio 2016 we won two medals and this year we already have three and there are more matches to go. There are 3 more Semifinals to go today.

Neeraj Chopra gives an early boost in Men's Javelin Throw, finishes on top in the Qualification Round

One of India’s medal contenders Neeraj Chopra started off in fine fashion in the Men’s Javelin Throw as he finished on top of Group A in the Tokyo Olympics. His first attempt was enough to seal his place in the final, as he threw a 86.65m which saw him finish ahead of Gold medal favourite Johannes Vetter from Germany who finished second with a throw of 85.64m in his third attempt. Lassi Etelätalo from Finland finished third with a throw of 84.50m.  In Group B Shivpal Singh from India failed to qualify for the Finals as he finished 12th with his best throw of 76.40m.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya assures India a silver medal in the 57kg freestyle category

The 23 year old from Nahri Sonipat has assured India their 4th medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by winning his semi final bout against Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan. The bout started in a very skeptical manner as both the wrestlers were assessing each other out but eventually the Kazak took the lead. Ravi made a quick recovery and won two points heading into the half. The story of the second half was completely different as the Kazak came out all guns blazing and won 6 points in a flurry, but the Indian had other ideas as he made a magnificent comeback in the last 30 seconds of the bout, eventually winning  by fall despite losing by points 7-9.

Golfer Aditi Ashok impresses by placing 2nd amongst big names

Aditi Ashok, an Indian golfer, got off to a flying start in the Tokyo Olympics Golf competition on Wednesday, shooting a four-under 67 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. Aditi, who first drew the attention of the golfing world at the Rio Olympics five years ago, tied for second place with World No. 1 Nelly Korda. Madalene Sagstrom of Sweden, the leader, was one shot behind her at 66. If it hadn't been for a bogey on the 18th hole, Aditi may have been in a tie for first.

After a great win, Deepak Punia loses in the semi-finals but hope for a bronze still alive

The world championship silver medalist in the mens 86kg freestyle category started off his quest to win a medal in a dominant fashion as he made easy work of his opponent. In the quarterfinal it was a completely different story as it was a nail biting contest against Lin Zushen of China. Both the wrestlers were cancelling each other out as the scores were all tied up during the first half. However, Deepak Punia showed us why he is ranked world number 2, as in the dying seconds he produced a magnificent take down to win the match 6-3.

Deepak Punia lost his semifinal bout quite comprehensively against David Taylor of USA.It was a no contest in the end as the experienced American completely dominated him in every aspect.The Indian had heavy strapping on his knee which was continuously targeted by the American and eventually Deepak lost the bout 10-0 via technical superiority.

Deepak still has a chance to win a bronze medal for India as he will be waiting for his opponent in the bronze medal match after the repechage round. Deepak will be hoping to add to the medal tally as his very good friend Ravi Kumar will be going for gold tomorrow.

Argentina beats India in Women’s Hockey Semifinals, one last fight left for Indians

The Indian women’s hockey must be proud of themselves the way they have excelled in the Tokyo Olympics. After defeating heavyweight Australia in the Quarterfinal, they narrowly missed out on the Finals as Argentina defeated them 2-1 in today’s Semifinal. The Indian women will face Britain on 6th August for the Bronze medal. The women’s Hockey team have never won a medal, they will strive to win their last match and finish with a medal and script history for the country.

The Indians got off to a terrific start as they scored in the 2nd minute when Gurjit Kaur scored off a penalty corner shot. In the second quarter Noel Barrionuevo scored in the 18th minute off a penalty corner shot thus leveling the scores. In the third quarter she once again found the net in the 36th minute again off a penalty corner shot. They held onto the lead till the end for victory.

Anshu loses her opening bout against Iryna in Wrestling

India’s Anshu Malik lost her first match against Iryna Kurachkina of Belarus in Women’s Freestyle Wrestling 57 kg in the Tokyo Olympics. She lost 8-2 by points, the first period saw Iryna taking four points and in the second period saw Anshu scoring 2 points but her opponent finished the match scoring four more points.

It is the teenager’s debut Olympics and will look for a second chance as she has to wait and see if she gets a repechage round.

Also read: Day 12: A disappointing day in the office for the Indian Olympic Contingent

(Golf news) Olympics 2020 live updates: Aditi Ashok, an Indian golfer, got off to a flying start in the Tokyo Olympics Golf competition on Wednesday, shooting a four-under 67 at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Aditi, who first drew the attention of the golfing world at the Rio Olympics five years ago, tied for second place with World No. 1 Nelly Korda.

Madalene Sagstrom of Sweden, the leader, was one shot behind her at 66.

If it hadn't been for a bogey on the 18th hole, Aditi may have been in a tie for first.

Aditi made five birdies to one bogey on the final hole, while Sagstrom shot a bogey-free five-under 66.

She was ranked significantly ahead of some of the game's biggest names, including defending champion Inbee Park (69).

Diksha Dagar (76), India's only competitor in the field, got off to a shaky start in her first Olympics, with five bogeys and no birdies, tying for 56th place.

The 60-player field will play 18 holes each day with no cut, giving all participants a total of 72 holes to play.

Aditi made birdies on the fifth and ninth holes, respectively, from 15 feet and seven feet.

She added birdies on the back nine, including one from 15 feet on the 13th and another from nearly 18 feet on the 17th.

In the meantime, she made another birdie on the 14th after a great approach from under three feet. She bogeyed the last after missing a par from under seven feet, putting her at 5-under.

"I think I played better than I expected today because I had a lot of hybrids into the greens, so I didn't really expect to be like 5-under through 17," Aditi said.

"But, I kind of holed some (good) putts and holed important par putts as well which kept the momentum. So, yeah, it was a good day." Aditi's father, Ashok, was on the bag five years ago when she qualified for the Olympics, but this time it's her mother, Maheshwari, who has had a significant influence on her.

"Yeah, my mom, she's caddying for me. Last time I had my dad on the bag, so the experience was just so incredible. I was like I want to have my mom next time and I made good on that promise," Aditi said.

Aditi said she was a rookie last time but now has a wealth of experience.

"...I just finished my high school exams and then I was at the Olympics in two months. But this time I think definitely a lot more experience, just playing on the LPGA the last five years makes you way better as a player than I was at Rio.

"And I think the Olympic experience was, I didn't finish as well as I wanted to last time, but just seeing the effect that it had on golf in India was inspiring and that's kind of what motivated me for this one as well." The 23-year-old Bengaluru native, who has competed in 18 Majors, drew international notice with a 68-68 start in the first two rounds in Rio, but subsequently fell to T-41st. World number two Ko Jin-young of South Korea, Matilda Castren of Finland, and Carlota Ciganda of Spain were all tied for fourth after shooting 3-under 68.

With Inputs from PTI

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain takes home the Bronze in Women’s Boxing

Tokyo, Aug 4 (Olympics news) She isn't quite happy with just a bronze in her debut Olympics but Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Wednesday said it is nonetheless a huge reward for her sacrifices in the past eight years and she would celebrate it by taking her first vacation since 2012.

The 23-year-old lost 0-5 in the welterweight (69kg) semifinals to reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey here this morning.

"Accha to nahi lag raha hai. I worked hard for a gold medal so it is a bit disappointing," Borgohain said after the bout, in which she was docked a point for not paying attention to the referee's instructions and also endured two standing eight counts.

"I could not execute my strategy, she was strong, I thought if I play on the backfoot, I would get hit, so I went on the offensive but it didn't work out as I had thought," she explained.

"I wanted to hit her confidence, par hua nahi. She was relentless and that was the problem." Borgohain's medal is nonetheless a historic achievement as it was the country's first Olympic podium finish in boxing in nine years and only the third ever overall after Vijender Singh (2008) and M C Mary Kom (2012).

"I always wanted to compete in the Olympics and win a medal. I am glad I got a medal but I could have got more," she said.

"I have worked for eight years for this medal. I have stayed away from home, not been with my family, not eaten what I would have like to, but I don't think one should do this.

"I would also always feel that anything wrong I do would affect my game," she said of the sacrifices -- big and small -- she made in her journey to the Olympic podium.

The youngster, who started out as a Muay Thai practitioner, took to boxing in 2012. She is already a two-time world championships bronze-medallist.

The build-up to the Games was a rough one for Borgohain, who missed a training trip to Europe last year after contracting COVID-19.

Adding to her woes was the ill health of her mother Mamoni, who underwent a kidney transplant while the boxer was at a national camp in Delhi in 2020.

The pent up emotions of a difficult past few months were there on display in Borgohain's quarterfinal win at the end of which she let out a huge scream.

"I will take a break of one month or more may be. I have never gone for a holiday ever since I took up boxing, I haven't decided where I will but I will definitely take a holiday," she said.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain takes home the Bronze in Women’s Boxing

This medal has not just been life-changing for her but also for her native village in Assam's Golaghat district and a concrete road is now being made leading up to her house in Baro Mukhia.

She laughed when she was told about it and merely said, "I am very happy that the road is being built. It would be nice when I go back home." Speaking of going back, Borgohain was asked about the lessons she has learnt from the campaign, in which none of the other eight Indian boxers in the fray could make the medal rounds with the men logging just one win in their entire campaign.

"I was not a very confident boxer but that is no longer the case. I am not scared anymore of anything," she said.

"I dedicate this medal to my country for praying for me, for supporting me. My coaches, federation, my sponsors, they have also helped me a lot." Borgohain especially thanked national assistant coach Sandhya Gurung for supporting her and requested that she be bestowed the Dronacharya award this year.

"Sandhya Gurung madam has worked hard on me. She has applied for Dronacharya award and I believe she deserves it. I hope she gets it and I want to thank her," she said.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Aug 4 (Olympics news) Lovlina Borgohain's "dogged determination" drew all-round praise as the country raised a toast to the young boxer for winning a bronze medal in her maiden Olympic Games.

Borgohain (69kg) signed off with a bronze medal after a 0-5 loss to reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli on Wednesday, bringing an end to the country's boxing campaign in Tokyo and adding a third medal to its overall tally.

"...With your hard work and dogged determination, you have done the nation proud. Your Bronze medal in boxing at the Olympics Games will inspire the youth, especially young women, to battle with challenges and turn their dreams into reality," President Ram Nath Kovind wrote on his twitter handle.

The 23-year-old's bronze came after weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and shuttler PV Sindhu had secured a silver and bronze respectively.

"Well fought @LovlinaBorgohai! Her success in the boxing ring inspires several Indians. Her tenacity and determination are admirable. Congratulations to her on winning the Bronze. Best wishes for her future endeavours. #Tokyo2020," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

Borgohain stood up to the strong challenge of her opponent but came undone after Surmeneli got down to connecting her vicious hooks and body shots.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, however, lauded her effort.

"Lovlina, you gave your best punch! India is extremely proud of what you have achieved! You've achieved a Third place medal medal in your first Olympics; the journey has just begun! Well done @LovlinaBorgohai," Thakur tweeted.

Former sports minister Kiren Rijiju wrote: "Dear @LovlinaBorgohai, you have made our country proud! Hearty congratulations on winning Olympic Bronze medal! We are extremely proud of your achievement!" Wishing Borgohain for her success, BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote: "Congratulations @LovlinaBorgohai for the Bronze medal. Being a debutant your phenomenal bout at @Tokyo2020 is an inspiration for many. This is just the beginning, you have long way to go. #Boxing #Cheer4India." Borgohain is the third Indian boxer to ensure a podium finish at the showpiece after Vijender Singh (2008) and M C Mary Kom (2012) and Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh hailed her as a "future World Champion" and a "role model".

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain takes home the Bronze in Women’s Boxing

"Meet our future world champion @LovlinaBorgohai. So proud of this young 23 year old women. She fought the best boxer in the world with grit and determination and earned the first Olympic boxing medal for India after 9 years. Truly a role model for young women our country," he tweeted.

Vijender wrote: "And it's bronze in boxing. Proud of you #LovlinaBorgohain." India's lone individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra also congratulated Borgohain for her "stellar run" at the Olympics and shared his thoughts in a letter posted on twitter.

"To achieve a milestone of such difficulty while making your debut at the grandest sporting event in the world is nothing short of incredible. It speaks volumes of your immense grit and belief in your skills and not be overawed by the occasion." Former sportspersons, including cricketers, also took to the social media to wish the boxer from Assam.

"There is no doubt that the Turkish World Champion Busenaz was a superior boxer. There is also no doubt that @LovlinaBorgohai gave it her all. Congrats on your bronze medal Lovlina. You have so much to be proud of," former India hockey player Viren Rasquinha tweeted.

Former India cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar said, "With your commitment and hard work, I am sure things will only get better from here."

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 4 (Olympics news) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated boxer Lovlina Borgohain on winning a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, and said her tenacity and determination are admirable.  Borgohain (69kg) signed off with a bronze medal in the Olympic Games after a comprehensive 0-5 loss to reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli.

Modi tweeted, "Well fought @LovlinaBorgohai! Her success in the boxing ring inspires several Indians. Her tenacity and determination are admirable. Congratulations to her on winning the Bronze. Best wishes for her future endeavours. #Tokyo2020."

Also read: Sindhu returns to warm reception

News source: PTI

(Boxing news) Olympics 2020 live updates: In the Women's Welter (64-69kg) Boxing, India’s Lovlina Borgohain lost her Semifinals match in the Tokyo Olympics. She had assured herself of  a medal after winning the first two matches. She lost to Busenaz Sürmeneli from Turkey 5-0  and will receive the Bronze medal. It is a milestone win for India as she is only the third Indian boxer and the second Woman Boxer to win an Olympic medal.

Also read:  Deepak Punia marches into the semifinals and keeps the hope of medal alive

She has made a mark in this year’s Olympics by finishing third in the podium. This year’s tally has improved from the previous Olympics. In Rio 2016 we won two medals and this year we already have three and there are more matches to go. There are 3 more Semifinals to go today.

Nottingham, Aug 3 (Cricket news) If the international cricketers do not take "periodic breaks" from the tough bio-bubble life, there could soon be a time when no cricketers of quality will be left due to the stressful life in a post-COVID world.

The Indian captain admitted that living in one bio-bubble after another in these post pandemic times does add to the stress of being a captain and always subconsciously thinking about the team.

Kohli feels that it won't be long before cricketers start taking the Ben Stokes route like the England all-rounder has now pulled out of the marquee series.

"These breaks are very important, for me too. To refresh and come back. In any case, captaincy and shouldering a team's responsibility can be stressful. To add to that, if you are confined in a bubble for a long time, things get even more difficult. These periodic breaks are very important," Kohli said on the eve of the first Test against England.

The custodians of the game need ti think seriously about the gruelling round the year calender as the Indian captain doesn't want a situation where one ends up without any quality cricketers due to bubble fatigue.

"Because if your players don't survive to play, then maintaining the quality of cricket will get difficult. Like he's (Stokes) taken a break, there could be more players in the future, at some stage or the other, who could get fatigued by the bubble life,” said Kohli, who also has been leading IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The Indian team got a 20-odd day break after the World Test Championship final, which they lost to New Zealand. Following the break, the team assembled in Durham, where they even played a three-day warm up game before moving here for the first Test.

"As a captain, I can say that subconsciously your mind is always functioning, you get so used to the team planning on a daily basis, you get very little time to switch off,” Kohli said at the virtual pre-match press conference ahead of the first Test against England.

"From that point of view, the break was vital. Also, you've seen Ben Stokes has taken a break, we have been operating in a bubble for more than a year and it's not easy,' maintained the India captain.

Proud of Indian athletes who are doing well in Olympics, skipper says =========================================== Skipper Kohli also took this opportunity to congratulate the Indian athletes who have been doing well at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. India now have three confirmed medals with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu winning a silver and star shuttler PV Sindhu winning her second Olympic medal -- abronze in women's singles.

A third assured medal is boxer Lovlina Borgohain who will fight her semi-finals on Wednesday.

Also read: All eyes on Captain Kohli's choice of players as India brace for tough English Test

"We all have been keenly following when we were Durham, at the breakfast arena, we had big screens and televisions, which were always running all the Olympic events and specially our athletes when they were performing, we were all keenly watching," Kohli said.

“The whole country and all of us included are super proud of all the medal winners and also the people who have gone far into the competition, who might not have won medals, but you know who have competed and given their best, so we are all very proud of them as everyone else in the country is and we have been keenly watching and supporting them from here,” the aggressive right-handed batsman added.

India is still medal contention in both men's and women's hockey events.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Aug 3 (Olympics news) Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday hailed P V Sindhu as a sporting icon and one of the "greatest Olympians" the country has ever produced after she returned to the country to a warm reception following her bronze-medal winning feat at the Tokyo Games.

Sindhu on Sunday became the second Indian and first woman from the country to bag two Olympic medals after winning the bronze in Tokyo, five years after securing a silver at Rio Games.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad was accorded a warm welcome when she returned to the country on Tuesday.

"PV Sindhu is amongst India's greatest Olympians. She is India's icon, inspiration and has caught the imagination of every Indian who dreams of playing for the country," Thakur said after felicitating Sindhu and her Korean coach Park Tae-Sang here.

"Her incredible achievement - that of winning two Olympic medals in two consecutive Olympic Games will inspire a generation of budding athletes. Her success shows how the Target Olympic Podium scheme of the government has nurtured our Olympic hopefuls towards a podium finish." Sindhu, the reigning world champion, had defeated China's He Bing Jiao in the bronze play-off.

"I would like to thank each one of my fans because of the support and though we played without fans in the stadium, but I am sure billions have supported me from India and this success is the result of their wishes," Sindhu said.

"I would like to thank my parents for their constant support and scarifies and my coach for working with me and making this dream come true." Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State of Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik also feliciated Sindhu for her exceptional feat.

Also read: I was blank for few seconds, didn't know what to do: Sindhu on second Olympic medal

Secretary Sports, Ravi Mittal and Sindhu's parents were also present at the felicitation event.

Earlier, Sindhu was received at the Indira Gandhi International airport by Badminton Association of India (BAI) general secretary Ajay Singhania, who also felicitated her and coach Park at the airport.

Sindhu is the second Indian athlete to return home with a medal from Tokyo after weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won the 49kg class silver on July 24.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who is assured of a 69kg medal, will compete in the semifinal against Busenaz Surmeneli (Turkey) on Wednesday.


News source: PTI

Ahmedabad, Aug 3 (Olympics news) Elated by the performance of Indian players in the Tokyo Olympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said new India's towering self-confidence was getting reflected in each game as the conviction and confidence of the country's players are at their peak.

"This time, the highest number of Indian players have qualified for the Olympics. We must not forget the fact that we have achieved it while fighting the worst pandemic of the last 100 years. There are sports in which our players have qualified for the very first time," Modi said in a virtual address.

He was taking part in a Gujarat government's event of distributing free ration to the poor. The event, held in Dahod, was part of the nine-day long celebration of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's five years in office.

Modi in his speech said, "Our players haven't just qualified, they are giving their best performance too. New India's towering self-confidence is reflecting in each game. Our Olympics players and teams are giving a tough fight to their competitors having better rankings. The conviction and confidence of Indian players are at their peak." He said the Indian players are more confident because of the transparency in the system and the identification of right talent.

"This self-confidence comes naturally when the right talent is identified and promoted, when the system gets changed and transparency is brought in. This new self-confidence is now becoming the identity of new India and reaching every nook and corner of the country," the PM said.

Also read: PM to invite Olympic contingent to Red Fort on Aug 15, also to interact with them at his residence

Notably, India's Mirabai Chanu ended the country's over two-decade long wait for a weightlifting medal at the Olympics, clinching the 49kg category silver medal recently.

In another achievement, P V Sindhu on Sunday became only the second Indian and the country’s first woman to win two Olympic medals, securing a bronze after a straight-game win in the badminton women’s singles third-place play-off.

Debutant Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) assured India of its first boxing medal at the ongoing Olympic Games when she enter the semifinals on Friday.

Two days back, the Indian men's hockey team entered the Olympic semifinals following a 49-year gap. However, the Indian team lost to Belgium in the semifinals on Tuesday and will now play in the bronze medal match on Thursday.

Besides, a brave and determined Indian women's hockey team etched its name in the history books by entering the Olympic Games semifinals for the first time on Monday.

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Aug 3 (Olympics news) A medal already secured, Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) will be in pursuit of history when she takes on reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the Olympic semifinals here on Wednesday, aiming to become the first ever Indian boxer to advance to the Games final.

The 23-year-old from Assam, who started her career as a Muay Thai practitioner, has become only the third Indian boxer to ensure a podium finish at the showpiece after Vijender Singh (2008) and M C Mary Kom (2012).

Hers is also the first Olympic medal in boxing in nine years and the aim now is to reach where none before her has reached, the finals.

"Since the bout is in the afternoon, we have been training in the afternoon everyday for the past two days," national coach Mohammed Ali Qamar told PTI on the eve of the crucial fight.

"As for Lovlina, all that needs to be conveyed in terms of strategy has been conveyed to her and she is ready. These two have never faced each other before so it is an unchartered territory for both of them," he added.

"She is very upbeat and confident about a good performance and I am sure she will deliver." The boxer herself seemed pretty clear about her path ahead after the semifinal win over former world champion Nien-Chin Chen on the Chinese Taipei.

"Medal to bas gold hota hai, let me get that first," she had said after the historic triumph which ensured that the nine-strong Indian boxing team that came here has at least one medal to celebrate.

Borgohain has shown remarkable composure for a debutant at the sport's biggest extravaganza. And it is this poise that might do the trick for her against the imposing opponent from Turkey, who is seeded top in the draw.

Surmeneli is also 23 and has collected two gold medals this year internationally.

The former middlewight (75kg) boxer claims to have promised an Olympic medal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan back in 2015 itself.

Borgohain is no novice either and has secured two world championship bronze medals so far in her career.

In fact, both Borgohain and Surmeneli competed in the 2019 championships, from where the latter came out champion, while the former settled for a bronze.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain: Diverse Assam's new unifying factor

The two, however, did not face off after landing up in different halves of the draw.

Borgohain has been candid enough to admit that she hasn't been the most fearless boxer in her career but several mind exercises and meditation later, she has found the self-belief that is needed for a big stage like the Olympics.

"I have started believing in myself, I have stopped caring about what others say, that's how I have become fearless," she said.

That self-belief would be crucial when she steps inside the ring on Wednesday, trying to change the colour of her medal against a formidable rival.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Aug 1 (Olympics news) There will be greater focus on making Indian boxers mentally stronger for high-pressure events like the Olympics, Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh told PTI, ruling out any "knee jerk reactions" to the mixed bag of performances at the ongoing Games in Tokyo.

An unprecedented nine Indian boxers -- five men and four women -- made the cut for the shopwiece with Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) securing the lone medal, India's first in nine years, by advancing to the semifinals.

Handed tricky draws, the men, however, could log just one win -- through debutant super heavyweight Satish Kumar -- while world no.1 Amit Panghal (52kg) was among those who lost in the opening round.

"Definitely it is not what was expected. I feel particularly bad about the defeats of (an injured) Vikas (Krishan) and Amit," Singh said in a telephonic conversation from Tokyo, there to assess the campaign.

"Then Mary (Kom) lost by the narrowest of margins (in her pre-quarters). So it has been a mixed bag but look at the upside, we got a medal after nine years and it can get better," he added.

India did not win a medal at the 2016 Olympics where none of the female boxers from the country could even qualify. Only three men had made it to the main draw back then.

By that comparison, Tokyo was a marked improvement but what about the fact that none of the men could make the medal rounds in Japan? Will that have consequences? "Postmortems can wait until after we are through with the campaign but I am not in favour of knee jerk reactions. Let's not discount the last four years. These very men and coaching staff have given us unparalleled achievements, do we ignore all of it for one underwhelming result?" he asked.

The achievements he referred to include unprecedented medal hauls at the world championships and the Asian Games among others.

"I am very confident that had this group competed in the Olympics as scheduled last year, results would have been much better. Their rhythm was broken by the lockdowns, the momentum was affected.

"We had to ultimately send them abroad because as per the SOP here, they couldn't even spar with each other because of the health safety protocols and we can't question that, the cases were simply too high.

"Now you would say it was same for others too, fair enough but we had a very, very deadly second wave too. The boxers and coaches tested positive as well. So it is not black and white.

"Criticism is welcome but let's not crucify people. I am going to back this bunch because even when they win, they are taking a hit on their faces and bodies." The boxers who came to Tokyo after suffering bouts of COVID-19 were Manish Kaushik (63kg), Ashish Chaudhary (75kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Satish.

Lovlina Borgohain, who has assured India of their second medal at the Games after reaching the welterweight semifinal, too had tested positive for the virus but that was last year.

Chief national men's coach C A Kuttappa and women's head coach Mohammed Ali Qamar were among those who battled the virus in the support staff unit.

On Saturday, when Pooja Rani lost to former world champion Li Qian, Singh had rushed to give her a hug as she sobbed and he asserted that he truly believes in each every boxer.

"I am going to support them, there is no question on that," Singh said.

And this support, he said, will also extend to the current coaching staff.

"We have a world championship in three-four months time," he pointed out. Also read: SSCB emerge champions at 3rd Junior Boys National Championships

Singh said the focus for him after the Games would be to ensure better mental support to the boxers.

"What I am seeing is that there is talent but we need to be mentally stronger. Olympics is a huge stage. We do have a full-time psychologist with the team but we will try to assess what more can be done. It is a brutal and lonely sport, our job is to ensure support," he said.

"Last four years have been spectacular, yes this could have gone a lot better but we have certainly reached a level. Of course, there is a long way to go for us to achieve more, we will get there," he added. News source: PTI 

Silchar, Jul 31 (Olympics news) In Lovlina Borgohain, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Assam has found its new unifying factor, a very strong one at that, evidence of which was the manner in which the state rejoiced the young boxer's medal-clinching feat at the Tokyo Olympics.

Days after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led an unprecedented cycle rally to wish the state's "daughter" the best for the Games, people from all spheres of life discussed and celebrated her "historic achievement" at the sport's biggest stage.

Dipayan Chakraborty, a member of the state's legislative assembly who represents the Silchar constituency, the seat of power in the Bengal-dominated Cachar district, was part of the rally that was spearheaded by the CM.

Like so many from the state, including the Bengali-dominated region, the Silchar MLA was also delighted when news trickled in that the 23-year-old Assamese has ensured the country its second medal at the Games.

"This is a huge thing for all of us, for the entire state, for the country. It's a matter of great pride for all of us. And I am very optimistic that the run is going to continue as she is going to go for the gold medal in the Olympics," he told PTI.

There was no sign of exhaustion in his voice despite a long day full of meetings, workshops and visits to various places, as he spoke enthusiastically about the athlete from the state's Golaghat district and her achievements.

The seasoned leader has been associated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for many years.

"I must the thank our honourable chief minister for this fine initiative and other awareness activities. Lovlina has the blessings of the entire state to go to the Olympics, win there and bring glory to the state," Chakraborty said.

After calls were made to numerous people across the state, it was found out that a good number of them woke up early on Friday to follow one of their all-time biggest sporting stars in action at the biggest stage.

When asked about Borgohain's achievement in a state known for its diversity, Chakraborty said, "Caste, communities and religion they don't matter at all in sports anywhere, and Assam is no different." Around the time Borgohain's first Olympic bout in Tokyo was to take place, all district sports associations across the state lit oil lamps to wish the boxer as the two-time world championship medallist braced up for her career's biggest test.

This was done at the behest of the Assam Olympic Committee, which has also played its part in her development.

"We have tried to do as much as we could. Last four-five years she has been working hard and the Boxing Federation of India and the Assam boxing association has also supported the boxers," said Assam Olympic Committee's general secretary Lakhya Konwar.

Konwar missed the bout as he came back from Tokyo on Thursday night but the official, nevertheless, was delighted that they could play a role in her development, including giving her an aid of Rs 25 lakh during the lockdown.

Also read: Easy-going Assam goes on overdrive after Lovlina's exploits

The debutant boxer (69kg), provided the spark that India's Olympic campaign desperately needed with her exploits on Friday.

She defeated former world champion Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei to become the first among nine Indian boxers in fray here to be assured of at least a bronze.

"Isi ladki se 4 baar haar chuki hun (I had lost to her four times earlier), all I wanted to do was prove a point to myself by being fearless against her. I was just looking for revenge," she had said with a wide grin after the fantastic win which has triggered celebrations across the country.

News source: PTI

Guwahati, Jul 30 (Sports news) Basking in their "daughter's" glory, the normally easy-going people of multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic Assam, in their quaint towns and villages, went into overdrive on Friday after boxer Lovlina Borgohain's Olympic medal-clinching exploits at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lakhya Konwar, general secretary of the Assam Olympic Committee, called it one of the greatest sporting moments for the state.

It came as no surprise when people broke into impromptu celebrations. After all, they witnessed something that had never been experienced before -- seeing one their own assured of a medal at the Olympics.

The media personnel, with their OB vans made their way into the Borgohain house in Golaghat district's Bara Mukhiya village, barely few hours after the 23-year-old welterweight (69kg) boxer put the hamlet on the Olympic map with her entry into the semifinals in Tokyo.

As the others around his house basked in her daughter's glory, Lovlina's father, Tiken Borgohain, expressed confidence that she will definitely translate the bronze medal into gold with two more victories.

"Her dream is finally realised," Borgahian said of his daughter.

"She started in 2012, and since then, has been working tirelessly to fulfil this goal of reaching the Olympics and winning a medal there," he added.

If Friday's display, highlight of which was her calculative approach, is any indication then a silver or even a gold cannot be ruled out even though a reigning world champion awaits the Indian in the semifinals.

The 23-year-old Assam boxer won 4-1 to make the last-four where she will square off against Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey, who hammered Ukraine's Anna Lysenko in her quarterfinal bout.

Borgohain senior has faith in his daughter's ability to go all the way and not stop at the bronze.

"She will reach the final I am very sure about that, after winning the semifinal. We spoke to her in the morning and blessed her before the bout," he said.

Borgohain, a two-time world championship bronze-medallist and the first female boxer from Assam to qualify for the Games, displayed tremendous calm in the face of a plucky opponent, who had beaten her four times in the past.

As the news trickled in about her success in Tokyo, locals started flocking to her house and danced on the road, even as microphone-totting reporters and cameramen tried to get their reactions.

Konwar missed the bout as he came back from Tokyo on Thursday night but the official, nevertheless, was delighted that they could play a role in her development.

"It's a really proud moment for not just Assam but the country also. Last four-five years she has been working hard and the Boxing Federation of India and the Assam boxing association has also supported the boxers.

Also read: Didn't have any strategy, just wanted to fight fearlessly: Lovlina on historic Olympic win

"The BFI has given ample opportunities to the boxers. Since she qualified for the Olympics we knew that she would finish on the podium.

"She was dominating the world number two, and I can tell you that she will easily beat the world number six in the semifinals. We have given her Rs 25 lakh during the lockdown last year." In support of the boxer just before the Games, Assam Chef Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had flagged off a bicycle rally, calling her the state's "daughter".

Lovlina is the second boxer in the Olympics, after Shiva Thapa, to hail from Assam.

News source: PTI

Highs:

1) Lovlina Borgohain assured of an Olympic medal after defeating Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei

India was assured their second medal at the Tokyo Olympics after Lovlina Borgohain won her women’s welterweight quarterfinal against Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen. With this win, Lovlina became only the second Indian woman to win an Olympic medal and joined the elite club featuring only Mary Kom. The 23 year old won her quarter-final clash 4-1 and will now look to improve her medal color by attempting to win the semi-final.

2) PV Sindhu wins against Yamaguchi and advances to the semi-final

The match began at a very high tempo with both PV Sindhu and Yamaguchi cancelling each other out but Sindhu showed immaculate skills and presence of mind to win the first set comfortably 21-13. The story of the second set was completely different as Yamaguchi came back from a 6 point deficit to lead the set but PV Sindhu manifested amazing temperament and net skills, something that she has added to her arsenal which in turn helped her win the match in straight sets 21-13, 22-20 against the world no 4.

3) Indian Women’s Hockey wins against Ireland keeping chances of Quarterfinal alive

In Pool A of Women’s Hockey, the Indian team managed a win against Ireland 1-0 to keep hopes up for the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics. They have played four matches so far, losing three while winning today against Ireland. The teams did not score in the first three quarters until Navneet Kaur finally scored the winner in the  57th minute of the final quarter.

4) Vishnu Saravanan puts ups a spectacular performance as the rest continue to struggle

In the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser, Vishnu Saravanan raced in his 9th and 10th race today. He finished an astonishing third in the 9th race and in the next finished 15th. He is placed 20th overall and the medal race is on 1st August. He can finish in the top 10 if he is able to repeat his 9th race heroics.

5) Deepika Kumari progresses to the quarter-finals after beating Ksenia Perova of Russia in the Women's 1/8 Elimination Round

Indian archer Deepika Kumari defeated Russia’s Ksenia Perova to progress to the quarter-finals of the women’s individual event at the Tokyo Olympics. She started off strongly, winning the first set with scores of 9. 10 and 9 but lost out on the second when Ksenia scored 27 points. The World Number 1 then went on to win her third set with scores of 10, 9 and 9 while the fourth set ended in a draw as each archer scored 26 and got 1 point. After Deepika Kumari lost the fifth set, a shootout ensued which the Indian archer subsequently went on to win 6-5.

6) Indian men’s hockey team finish 2nd in the group and qualify for the quarterfinals

India had already secured the 2nd position in the group before the match as Spain and Australia had already played out a 1-1 draw. Japan on the other hand were playing for pride and it certainly showed when they played a thrilling 5-3 loss to the Indians. The Indian Hockey team scored two early goals in the second quarter thanks to Harmanpreet and Gurjant Singh but the Japanese quickly recovered and pegged them back for a goal. The match was played at a very intensity and the action was back and forth, but 3 more goals from Shamser, Nilikant and Gurjant put the finishing touches on what has been a very memorable group stage for the Indians.

Lows:

1) Avinash Mukund Sable misses out on qualification for the finals of Men's 3000m Steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics

India’s track and field campaign kicked off in Tokyo today with Sable beginning the heat with his personal best of 8:20.20 to break the national record. Sable then went on to clock 8:18.12 to break his own national record at the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase but finished in the 7th position which was not good enough to qualify.

2) Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Rahi Sarnobat fail to enter 25m Pistol final

It was a disappointing display by the Indian shooting contingent at the Tokyo Olympics and the trend continued as Manu Bhaker and Rahi Sarnobat failed to enter the 25m Pistol final. Manu Bhaker shot 96 in Series 1, shooting seven 10s, two 9s and one 8 for a total of 388 to be in the 9th position, top 8 qualify. She started Series 2 strongly, shooting five 10s in a row, overall seven and two 9s but dropped down a position to 9th. 

Approaching the last series (Series 3), Manu Bhaker had a total of 485 and shot four 10s and one 9 in her first five shots. However, she shot an 8 in her sixth shot to eventually take her overall total to 582, (Precision 292 and Rapid 290) in the 25m Pistol Women's Qualification.

Having needed at least 584 to stay in contention, Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out on making it to the top 8 while Rahi Sarnobat was already out of contention.

3) Indian boxer Simranjit Kaur loses to Sudaporn Seesondee of Thailand in the Round of 16 clash

In a disappointing display, Simranjit Kaur lost to Sudaporn Seesondee in Women’s 60kg Round of 16 bout. Despite Simranjit starting aggressively, Seesondee utilized her height and light weight to unanimously win the first round. It was clear that Simranjit lacked the experience of competing at the Olympics, letting her frustration get the better of her as she could not respond to Seesondee’s aggressive punches, resulting in a unanimous decision in Sudaporn Seesondee’s favor in the second round.

4) Deepika Kumari crashes out of the Tokyo Olympics after losing 6-0 to An San of South Korea

One of India’s brightest medal prospects at the Tokyo Olympics, Deepika Kumari has been eliminated in the Women’s Individual Quarterfinal by An San of South Korea. In what can only be described as a whitewash, An San could not have hoped for a better start, shooting three 10s to get a perfect score of 30 in the first set and clinching two points.

5) M.P Jabir fails to progress in 400m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics

India’s first male athlete to compete in the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games Madari Palliyalil Jabir clocked 50.77 to finish seventh in the first round of Heat 5. Rai Benjamin from the United States finished first, clocking 48.60, Rasmus Magi from Estonia finished second with a time of 48.73, Sokwakhana Zazini from South Africa finished third with a time of 49.51 and N. Smidt from the Netherlands finished fourth with a time of 49.55.

With this result, 25 year old M.P Jabir ranked 33rd out of 36 athletes and failed to progress to the next round.

6) India’s Fouaad Mirza finishes seventh at Day 1 of dressage event

The evening competition of Equestrian triathlon involved three phases: Dressage, Cross-Country, and Jumping. Fouaad Mirza, who was initially planning to compete with another horse Dajara 4 changed his mind days before the Olympic Games and selected Seigneur Medicott, with whom he had won two silver medals at the Asian Games in 2018. In the dressage phase, both Fouaad and Seigneur Medicott looked promising, especially while transitioning from one move to another.

With the objective to score as low as possible, Fouaad Mirza scored a total of 28 penalty points to be ranked 6th in the individual category. However, after Laura Collett of Great Britain scored 25.80, Fouaad moved to 7th place at the end of Day 1 in the individual ranking at the dressage event.

7) Indian mixed relay team fails to make it to the finals

The Indian team finished 8th in heats 2 of 4 x 400m Relay Mixed team in the Tokyo Olympics. They recorded a timing of 3:19.93 which was their best this season. The team consisted of Muhammed Anas, Revathi Veeramani, Subha Venkatesan, and Arokia Rajiv. The first leg was run by Muhammed Anas in 46.13, the second leg was run by Revathi Veeramani in 53.20, the third leg was run by Subha Venkatesan in 54.32 and the final leg was run by Arokia Rajiv in 46.28.

Also read: Day 7: India’s medal prospects looking bright as athletes inch closer to podium finish

Tokyo, Jul 30 (Olympics news) She delivered a thoroughly clinical performance to ensure an Olympic medal on debut but Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) on Friday said she stepped into the ring against former world champion Nien-Chin Chen without a concrete plan as she knew just a fearless approach would be enough.

The 23-year-old Assam boxer was smiling ear-to-ear after making the semifinals but also well aware that the task is only half done.

"Isi ladki se 4 baar haar chuki hun (I had lost to her four time earlier), all I wanted to do was prove a point to myself by being fearless against her. I was just looking for revenge," she said with a wide grin in an online media interaction.

"I enjoyed myself in this bout, khul ke khela. There was no strategy, no plan. I knew her from before, the plan wasn't even needed," she added.

"In today's bout the key was that I didn't take any pressure, it would have been counter-productive. I only tried to give my 100 per cent." The boxer, who has matched the Olympic performance of legends Vijender Singh and M C Mary Kom, will face reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the last-four stage on August 4.

"I have a few days, I will see her videos and figure out what to do with her," she said.

But she was averse to dwell too much on her struggles as she said it would be more appropriate to talk about her journey after she has actually completed her campaign, preferably with a gold medal.

"I will say even thank you to people after the final. Abhi kya bolun. Medal to bas gold hota hai, let me get that first," she said.

The Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh, who joined her during the interaction, lauded her fearlessness but Borgohain was candid enough to admit that she wasn't always like this.

"I was not fearless, I used to get scared but dheere, dheere dar khatam hua. I used to be scared before stepping into the ring. But now I have started believing in myself, I have stopped caring about what others say, that's how I became fearless," she said.

Meditation was also something that helped her along the way but she toned it down in the past few months as "you can't afford to have too calm a mind either in boxing." "Meditation is something that I started focussing on in 2017, mujhe fight mein fayda hota tha," she said.

"But in the last four months, I gave up on it a little bit because boxing is a noisy sport, you can't have too cool a mind either. Otherwise it becomes difficult. Ultimately I just told myself that I have to believe in myself.

"I have to fight, even if it is with a broken limb, I have to," she explained.

Borgohain started out as a kick boxer, Muay Thai, practitioner.

"That was just for a year. It helped when I started boxing but at this stage, it has no contribution to my success right now," she said.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain: the kick-boxer turned boxer who likes to keep it cool

She had a rough build-up to the Games, including a bout of COVID-19 last year. But the toughest part for her was to miss her mother's surgery after a kidney failure.

"I regret not being there because of training. I could give her very little time. Even today the media frenzy at my home has ensured that I have not been able to speak to my parents properly so far," she said.

A fan of Muhammad Ali and M C Mary Kom, Borgohain said, "I follow his (Ali's) footwork and long punches.

"As for Mary didi, it is an honour to be a part of the same camp, to train with her. She is an inspiration." For the rest of her story, she said, "It is a long one, Olympic gold lene ke baad bataungi."

News source: PTI 

(Sailing news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: The sailing events saw all the four Indians competing today in the Tokyo Olympics. Three races were held today in the Men's Skiff 49er, the pair of Varun Thakkar and Kelapanda Ganapathy came 17th in the 7th race, improved in the next by coming 11th and in the final race of the day finished 16th. They are placed 17th overall with three more races to go tomorrow before the medal race which is on 2nd August.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain: the kick-boxer turned boxer who likes to keep it cool

In the Women's One Person Dinghy Laser, Radial Nethra Kumanan raced in her 9th and 10th race today. She finished 37th in the 9th race and in the next finished 38th. She is placed 35th overall and the medal race is on 1st August.

In the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser, Vishnu Saravanan also raced in his 9th and 10th race today. He finished an astonishing third in the 9th race and in the next finished 15th. He is placed 20th overall and the medal race is on 1st August. He can finish in the top 10 if he is able to repeat his 9th race heroics.

New Delhi, Jul 30 (Olympics news) "Wo aaram se jeetegi, koi tension nahi hai (She will win easily, no reason to worry)," the man who first spotted the boxer in kick-boxer Lovlina Borgohain had said before her historic medal-clinching win in Tokyo Olympics.

And Sports Authority of India coach Padam Boro's assertion, while talking to PTI a day before the contest, have turned out to be prophetic.

Borgohain (69kg) kept her calm to upstage former champion Nien-Chin Chen to enter the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, the third Indian boxer ever who will now finish on the podium at the quadrennial showpiece.

So where did the journey begin for the reticent youngster, brought up in Baro Mukhia village of Assam's Golaghat district, the home to the famous Kaziranga National Park.

For one, she had elder sisters -- Licha and Lima -- who are kick-boxers and parents who were immensely supportive of their children's sporting ambitions despite limited means.

"They backed her to the fullest, often discussed her game with me and were willing to do anything for her dreams," said Boro.

And what a dream she is living. The ever-smiling boxer is the first woman from Assam to make the Olympic boxing cut and clinch a medal as well.

The 23-year-old's victory on Friday also seemed like the beginning of a new era in Indian women's boxing.

As M C Mary Kom exited the Olympics with what seemed like a terrible case of bad luck, Borgohain rose from relative obscurity to create the biggest moment of her career.

"She seemed to have the talent and physique to make a good boxer. We merely guided her through. What stood out about her was her calm mind even at that time. She is not the sort who gets easily ruffled, tension nahi leti hai," Boro recalled.

"She is also a very disciplined kid." It is not hard to believe that statement.

Her mother Mamoni underwent a kidney transplant last year. Borgohain visited her for a few days at that time and ended up testing positive for COVID-19 a day before she was to leave with the Olympic-qualified group for a 52-day training trip to Europe.

That exposure trip would have been crucial for her given that the pandemic had caused a shutdown all across and in India too, boxers were not allowed to spar for a while even after the camps reopened.

The fear was that the contact sport would end up causing infections among the practitioners.

It was deflating for the boxer but the government stepped in to assist Borgohain after she recovered from COVID-19, including a personalised training camp in Assam for her.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain assured of an Olympic medal after defeating Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei

But away from her teammates, it was tough for the youngster to build up all by herself. And it showed in the Asian Championships last month where she lost in her very first bout although the small size of the draw ensured that she still ended up with a bronze medal.

She has not been averse to talk about her lack of self-belief, especially after the first-round exit from the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

But meditation has helped her to stay focussed.

And that control on the mind made all the difference in perhaps the biggest bout of her career in Tokyo on Friday.

"She always had a very strong counter-attacking game. And she showed that," Boro said.

The meticulous campaign has finally got her the result she dreamed of and the scream that she let out at the end of her quarterfinal win was perhaps Borgohain finally letting emotions overcome her after being the restrained fighter both inside and outside the ring.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jul 29 (Olympics news) Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said boxer M C Mary Kom was the clear winner in Thursday's pre-quarterfinals in the Tokyo Olympics but judges have their own calculations.

Six-time world champion Mary Kom's pursuit of a second Olympic medal ended in the pre-quarterfinals in Tokyo as she went down to the 2016 edition's bronze-medallist, Ingrit Valencia of Colombia, in a fiercely-fought showdown.

Also read: Lovlina Borgohain assured of an Olympic medal after defeating Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei

"Dear Mary Kom, you lost in Tokyo Olympics by just one point but for me you are always a champion! You have achieved what no other female boxer in the world has ever achieved. You are a legend. India is proud of you. Boxing and Olympics will miss you," the former sports minister said in a tweet.

He said for all Indians, Mary Kom "was the clear winner but judges have their own calculations".

News source: PTI 

(Boxing news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: India was assured their second medal at the Tokyo Olympics after Lovlina Borgohain won her women’s welterweight quarterfinal against Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen. With this win, Lovlina became only the second Indian woman to win an Olympic medal and joined the elite club featuring only Mary Kom. The 23 year old won her quarter-final clash 4-1 and will now look to improve her medal color by attempting to win the semi-final.

Fondly referred to as ‘Assam’s daughter’, Lovlina started her quarter-final bout so aggressively that the referees needed to intervene multiple times. She won the first round 3-2 with a split decision. Despite Chen attempting a comeback in the second round, Lovlina fights back and is unanimously given the round by all judges to eventually win the bout. She is now only the third Indian boxer to reach the Olympic semi-final.

Also read: Indian boxer Satish Kumar progresses to the quarter-finals with 4-1 win over Jamaica's Ricardo Brown

Sonepat, Jul 27 (Boxing news) Service Sports Control Board (SSCB) began strongly in the 3rd Junior Boys National Boxing Championships with eight of their pugilists winning their opening bouts here.

Harsh started the proceedings for SSCB in a quite commanding manner as he out-punched Niraj Sah of Steel Plant Sports Board (SPSB) by a unanimous decision in the 46kg opening round match.

Later in the 54kg, Ashish also defeated Gujarat's Atul Sahani as the referee stopped the contest (RSC) in the first round of the face-off.

Rajan (50kg), Henthoi (60kg), Ankush Panghal (66kg), Jackson Singh Laishram (70kg), Naksh Beniwal (75kg) and Rhythm Sangawan (+80kg) were the other boxers who registered victories on Monday in their respective opening round matches and ensured perfect day for SSCB with all-win record.

Earlier last week, SSCB emerged champions in the 4th Youth Men's National Boxing Championships with 10 medals (7 gold and 3 silver).

Fourth edition of the Junior Girls National Championships was also kickstarted on Monday and 28 bouts were fought with 201 boxers participating from across the country, including Haryana, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Mizoram.

Also read: Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain defeats Germany’s Nadine Apetz 3-2 in round of 16 women’s welterweight division

The boys event witnessed the presence of 298 boxers while 65 bouts took place on opening day.

The on-going championships is being played with AIBA's newly-introduced weight divisions -- 13 categories in men's event and 12 for women.

The event will also be a selection trial for the youth and junior Asian championship, which is slated to take place in Dubai from August 17 to 31.

News source: PTI 

At the end of 5 days of action in the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian fans haven't had too much to celebrate. The only moment to cherish upon was when Mirabhai Chanu won the silver medal in the women's 49kg Weightlifting event. However, all hope is not lost as the best is yet to come and India faces a real possibility of conjuring up more medals before the Tokyo Olympics finally concludes. Let us take a look at the remaining medal prospect events.

1) Badminton

All eyes will be on PV Sindhu when she takes on world no 34 Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong tomorrow at 7.30am. PV Sindhu will surely try to make easy work of her opponent and progress into the knockout stages.The Indian fans would sincerely hope that she goes all the way to win that elusive gold which evaded her in the Rio Olympics.

Sai Praneeth will be taking on Mark Caljouw of Netherlands tomorrow at 2.30pm. The world championship bronze medalist should try to assert his dominance over the lower ranked opponent as this a must win game for him, after losing his first match in straight sets.

The nation of 1.3 billion people will hope that PV Sindhu and Sai Praneeth give them a moment to cherish by bringing home some medals.

2) Archery

After the disappointing losses to the mighty South Koreans in the team events, the Indian fans will be hoping for a different outcome in the individual events. The world no 1 Archer Deepika Kumari will begin her medal hunt against Karma of Bhutan in the round of 32. The Indian hopefuls would surely want her to live upto her expectation and go deep into the tournament. After the disappointing outing in the Rio Olympics where she got knocked out in the round of 16, Deepika will surely put her past omens behind to win India's first ever Archery medal at the Olympics. The task won't be easy as she has to go through the mighty South Korean women but if one person can do it, it's Deepika Kumari.

3) Wrestling

One sport that the Indian fans are hopeful of getting a plethora of medals is wrestling as athletes such as Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat will be participating. Indian wrestlers have been getting at least 1 medal in the last few years, and all eyes are on this sport to bring home the glory.

The wrestling contingent begins on 3rd August with Vinesh Phogat starting her medal quest on 5 August and Bajrang Punia beginning his quest on 7th August.

4) Athletics

India has taken its largest contingent for athletics this year and will be hoping to deliver a good performance. The main medal prospect for Javelin throw is Neeraj Chopra who will begin his campaign on 4th August along with Shivpal Singh. This year Neeraj Chopra has the 4th best throw in the world and his medal chances have improved when the defending Olympic champion Thomas Roehler pulled out of the games. The Indians fans are hopeful that Neeraj will break the medal drought and become the first Indian to win a track and field medal.

The discus thrower from Sonipat Seema Punia might be a dark horse heading into the tournament but she can certainly spring a surprise and win a medal. The 37 year old surely has a lot of big tournament experience which might be a deciding factor against the youngsters. Seema Punia starts off her campaign on 2nd August while the Indian contingent start their track and field campaign on 30th July.

5) Boxing

After the disappointment in shooting, the Indian fans will be looking forward to seeing some of the pre-tournament favourites to perform in the boxing ring. Amit Panghal slowly but steadily has become India's best men's boxer over the course of time and he has an impressive track record after winning a silver medal in the 2019 World Boxing Championships and gold in the 2020 Boxing World Cup. Amit plays his first match against Yuberjen Martinez of Columbia on 31st July at 7.30 am.

MC Mary Kom is arguably the most decorated boxer that India has ever produced and at the age 38 there is no stopping her. She faces Ingrit Valencia of Columbia in the round of 16 on 29th July. The Indian fans hope that she gets a medal as this could be her last ever tournament.

Lovlina Borgohain is another medal prospect who has already qualified to the quarterfinals. Over the years, she has established herself as the next up and coming boxer in India after winning the bronze medal in the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championship in 2019. Lovlina faces Chen Nien-Chin of Chinese Taipei on 30th July. The Indian fans will be looking forward to this match as it takes her one step closer to winning a medal for the country.

Also read: Day 5: Mixed results for the Indian Olympic Contingent in Tokyo

6) Hockey

After the disheartening loss to the Australians, the Indian Hockey team are still in a strong position to qualify for the quarterfinals. India are currently second in the group with 6 points but with an inferior goal difference of -2 which surely the Indian coach Graham Reid will look to improve upon.

The Indian Hockey team are playing with a renewed courage and vigor as the heavy loss against the Australian didn't dampen the spirits of the players, in turn they came out all guns blazing against Spain and won that match comfortably. If India manage to qualify in the top two then they might avoid the likes of Belgium and Netherlands in the quarterfinal which only enhances their chance to qualify for the semifinals. The Indian fans hope that the 41 year old drought for an Olympic medal in hockey will come to an end . The Indian Hockey team will face the defending Olympic Champions Argentina on the 29th of July at 6 am.
 

Indian men’s hockey team wins 3-0 against Spain

After a humiliating loss to Australia in which they lost by 7-1, the Indian men's hockey team, led by Manpreet Singh, was seeking their second win in the group stages. In their third game today, India went against Spain, looking for redemption.

In Pool A match at the OI Hockey Stadium, India put in a solid effort against world No. 9 Spain, scoring goals through Simranjeet Singh (14th minute) and Rupinder Pal Singh (15th and 51st minutes).

With six points from three matches (2 wins, 1 defeat) and a goal differential of -2, the Indian men have ascended to second place in Pool A. The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals.

Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain defeats Germany’s Nadine Apetz 3-2 in round of 16 women’s welterweight division

Lovlina Borgohain has advanced to the last 8 after a split decision win over Germany’s Nadine Apetz in the Preliminaries Round of 16 bout in women's Welter (64-69kg) event. In an eventful match at the Kokugikan Arena, Lovlina started round 1 strongly with the judges considering her to be the more dominant boxer. She employed a more counter attacking approach in the second round as Apetz improved her performance, however the split decision went in India’s favour. In the third and final round, Lovlina defended the German’s attacks successfully and won 3-2 after another split decision went in India’s favour.

With just one more win, the queen of Assam will be assured a medal at her debut Olympic Games.

Indians finding it hard to sail through in Tokyo

For the first time, India has fielded four sailors in a single Olympics. Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian female sailor to qualify for the Olympics and is competing in the laser radial event. Vishnu Saravanan is competing in laser standard class, and the pair of Varun Thakkar and Ganapathy Chengappa in the 49er class.

Nehra and Vishnu have 10 races overall and both of them have completed 6 of them. On the other hand, in the 49er class the pair of Varun and Ganapathy have just started their races today and have 12 races in total. Nethra Kumanan is currently placed 33rd after 6 races, she has four more to go and will expect to finish in the top. Vishnu Saravanan is currently placed 22nd and will look to improve on the next four races. The final race for both the individuals will be on the 1st of August.

Indian paddler Sharath Kamal loses to Long Ma in men’s singles Round 3 match

Reigning Olympic gold medallist Long Ma from China defeated Indian paddler Sharath Kamal 4-1 in the men’s singles Round 3 match. In a closely contested battle between the two, especially in the first three sets, Long Ma won the first 11-7 but Sharath Kamal fought back in the second set with an 11-8 win. However, the men’s singles and team gold medallist from the Rio Olympics showed just why he has accomplished it all as he won every set after the second game for a result of 11-7, 8-11, 13-11, 11-4, and 11-4.

India’s Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary fail to qualify for medal round in 10m Pistol Mixed Event

After a disappointing Day 4 at the Tokyo Olympics, things didn’t start too well for Indian Olympic contingent as shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary failed to qualify for the medal round in the 10m Pistol Mixed Event. The pair finished qualification in the 7th position with a total of 380 points as Manu Bhaker was particularly disappointing, dropping 14 points in two series.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj win the match but fail to qualify for quarterfinals

Indian Men’s doubles team won their match against Britain but missed out on a quarterfinal berth after winning fewer games than the second placed team. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy beat Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in 44 minutes in straight games with a score of 21-17 and 21 -19.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj failed to qualify as they finished third in Group A. The pair started off their campaign with a huge win over the world number three pair of Yang Lee and Chi-Lin Wang of Chinese Taipei in their opening match and lost their next match to world number one Marcus Gideon Fernaldi and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia. Their badminton campaign has come to an end even though their performances were admirable.

Indian shooters knocked out of Mixed 10m air rifle event

Indian shooters D.S. Panwar and E. Valarivan are out of the running for mixed 10m air rifle event having ranked 12th in qualifying. The Indian shooting team were expected to dominate the Tokyo Olympics but their performance has been no short of disappointing.

Both teams are out of the finals after a lackluster performance in qualification, capping off a miserable day for Indian shooters.

Also read: Day 4: A day of disappointments for the Indian Olympic contingent

(Boxing news) Olympic 2021 Live Update: 23 year old Lovlina Borgohain has advanced to the last 8 after a split decision win over Germany’s Nadine Apetz in the Preliminaries Round of 16 bout in women's Welter (64-69kg) event. In an eventful match at the Kokugikan Arena, Lovlina started round 1 strongly with the judges considering her to be the more dominant boxer. She employed a more counter attacking approach in the second round as Apetz improved her performance, however the split decision went in India’s favour. In the third and final round, Lovlina defended the German’s attacks successfully and won 3-2 after another split decision went in India’s favour.

With just one more win, the queen of Assam will be assured a medal at her debut Olympic Games. The bronze medallist at the World Championships and Asian Championships will be hoping to add the crowning jewel to her collection with a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also read: Indian boxer Ashish Kumar loses 5-0 to China's Erbieke Tuoheta

Tokyo, Jul 23 (Boxing sport news) The seasoned Vikas Krishan (69kg) will open India's boxing campaign here on Saturday against local favourite Sewonrets Quincy Mensah Okazawa, just one of the several tricky opponents that the country's pugilists will have to get past as they negotiate a challenging path to the medal rounds.

Vikas will be the lone Indian boxer in action on the opening day of boxing competitions at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena and has therefore opted out of the opening ceremony this evening.

The 29-year-old is chasing a medal in what is his third and, in all likelihood, final shot at Olympic glory.

He has almost every other medal in his cabinet, including the world championships and is desperately pursuing the Olympic podium, his efforts also including stints in the US professional circuit.

"I cannot be more prepared than what I am right now," he had told PTI in an interview before the Games and the preparations is set to be put through a very tough test.

Vikas' 25-year-old opponent is of Ghanian decent and was a silver-medallist at the 2019 Asian championships and a quarterfinalist at the world championships the same year.

If the Haryana-lad crosses this hurdle, he will be fighting Cuba's third-seeded Roniel Iglesias in the round of 16. Iglesias is the 2012 Olympic gold-medallist and also a former world champion.

The nine Indian boxers in fray at the Games were handed draws ranging from tricky to difficult on Thursday. The group is expected to make up for the disappointment of the 2016 Rio Games where the nation did not win any medals after a bronze each in 2008 and 2012.

Top seed and world no.1 Amit Panghal (52kg) was among the four who got byes into the pre-quarters. But the road to medal rounds does not seem easy for any of them.

Panghal will step into the ring on July 31 in the last-16-stage against the winner of the contest between Botswana's Mahommed Rajab Otukile and Colombia's Yuberjen Herney Rivas Martinez.

Martinez was the light flyweight silver-medallist at the Rio Games.

On Sunday, six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) will start her campaign in the women's draw.

She is up against Dominica's Miguelina Hernandez and would be facing Colombian third seed Ingrit Lorena Victoria Valencia if she wins the lung-opener.

Also read: Bye for Amit, 3 others; tough overall draw for Indian boxers at Olympics

Valencia is the 2016 Olympic bronze-medallist and also the Pan American Games champion.

Satish Kumar (+91kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) were the other Indians to get first-round byes.

The United States has won a mammoth 50 Olympic gold medals in boxing and a record 114 medals in total (men's and women's events combined).

Cuba has won 37 Olympic gold medals in boxing.

Kazakhstan has won at least one boxing gold medal in each of the past six Olympic Games.

At the 2016 Rio Games, which was marred by controversies over the quality of judging, Uzbekistan took home seven medals in boxing, three of them being gold, to finish joint highest alongside Cuba.

A total of 289 boxers from 81 countries will be fighting it out at the Games this time.

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Jul 22 (Olympics news) Top seed and world no.1 Amit Panghal (52kg) was among four Indian boxers who got byes into the Olympic Games pre-quarterfinals as the country's pugilists geared up for a tough campaign going by the draws unveiled on Thursday.

An unprecedented nine Indian boxers would be vying for medals at the showpiece, where none could secure a podium finish in the 2016 edition.

Panghal will step into the ring on July 31 in the last-16-stage against the winner of the contest between Botswana's Mahommed Rajab Otukile and Colombia's Herney Rivas Martinez.

In the women's competition, six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) will square off against Dominica's Miguelina Hernandez on July 25 and up next for her would be Colombian third seed Lorena Victoria Valencia as she pursues a second Olympic medal.

Also getting a bye was former Asian Games bronze-medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg), who is the first super heavyweight from India to make the Olympic cut.

He will face Jamaica's Ricardo Brown in the pre-quarters and if he wins, the Armyman will run into top seed Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan. Jalolov is the reigning world champion besides being a three-time Asian champion.

Debutant Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) will be up against China's Erbieke Touheta in his Games opener.

Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg), also making his Games debut, has Britain's European silver-medallist Luke McCormack to contend with in the opener.

If he wins, third seed Cuban Andy Cruz awaits him in the last-16 stage. Cruz is the reigning world and Pan American champion.

Another fancied Indian Vikas Krishan (69kg) will take on Japan's Mensah Okazawa in the round of 32 and if he crosses this hurdle, he will be fighting Cuba's third-seeded Roniel Iglesias.

Iglesias is the 2012 Olympic gold-medallist and also a former world champion.

In the women's draw, Pooja Rani (75kg) will take on Algeria's Ichrak Chaib, in her opening bout and will be up against China's second seed Li Qian if she progresses.

Also read: Youth Nationals: 11 Haryana women boxers storm into semi-finals

Qian is the reigning Asian champion and the 2018 edition world champion.

Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) got a bye and will face Germany's Nadine Apetz in her opening clash.

Simranjit Kaur (60kg) also got a bye and has Thailand's Sudaporn Seesondee awaiting her in the pre-quarters.

The trio of Simranjit, Lovlina and Pooja are making their Olympic debut among women.

The United States has won a record 50 Olympic gold medals in boxing and a record 114 medals in total (men's and women's events).

Cuba has won 37 Olympic gold medals in boxing, 26 more than in any other sport.

Kazakhstan won at least one boxing gold medal in each of the past six Olympic Games.

At the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, Uzbekistan took home seven medals in boxing, more than any other country, three of them being gold, to finish joint highest alongside Cuba.

News source: PTI

Tokyo, Jul 21 (Sports news) With the Olympics boxing venue "quite far", Indian pugilists have decided to train at the facilities available at the Games Village to avoid exertion and the risk posed by COVID-19.

The boxing competition of the Games is scheduled to be held in Sumida ward's Ryogoku Kokugikan arena here, primarily a sumo wrestling venue.

The arena is a little over 20km from Tokyo Bay, where the Games village is situated.

"We have decided to train at the Village only. We went to the designated Games venue on Monday and it is very far. In fact, not just us, several other teams also felt the same and all of us have been training at the Games Village," a source in the Indian boxing contingent told PTI.

"It is very hot, so the exertion of travelling that far just for training didn't seem worth it. Also, the COVID fear is there," the source added.

"The training facilities at the Village are good, there is no issue." An unprecedented nine Indian boxers -- five men and four women -- would be competing at the Games.

Also read: Haryana boxer Deepika defeats reigning World Youth Champion Alfiya Pathan at 4th Youth National Boxing Championships

The men in fray are world number one Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Chadhary (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg).

The women's challenge comprises six-time world champion and London Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg).

Of these, only Vikas and Mary Kom have prior experience of competing in the Games.

The boxing competition will get underway from July 24 and Panghal, Vikas and Mary Kom are among the favourites for a medal.

India had not won any boxing medal in the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

News source: PTI

Guwahati, Jul 21 (Olympics news) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia on Wednesday pedalled bicycles, wishing success to pugilist Lovlina Borgohain, the lone competitor from Assam in Tokyo Olympics.

Along with them, several ministers, scores of MLAs and senior officials took part in the 'Go for Glory - Lovlina', a bicycle rally that started at Last Gate and concluded at Nehru Stadium in the city.

Speaking at the event, Sarma said the rally was organised with a vision to support and motivate "Assam's daughter" Lovlina, who is representing India at the Tokyo Olympics.

He also felicitated the boxer's father Tiken Borgohain at the event, while urging people to come together and cheer for the pugilist.

Also read: Assam Assembly adopts unanimous resolution wishing pugilist Lovlina luck for Olympics

"We are so proud of Lovlina who is the first female athlete from #Assam to represent India at the #Olympics $@$# the second boxer after Shiva Thapa to participate in the same from the state. May you continue to bring glories to the nation," Sarma tweeted after the function.

Saikia said Lovlina is the pride of Assam and he is confident that she will make the state and country proud with her stupendous performance.

Along with Sarma, Daimary and Saikia, Deputy Speaker Numal Momin, ministers Bimal Bora, Atul Bora, Urkhao Gwra Brahma, Pijush Hazarika, Sanjoy Kishan and Jogen Mohan also pedalled through the Guwahati roads.

The Assam government had in June extended financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the Arjuna awardee to help her prepare for the mega sporting event.

Lovlina, 23, who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in March last year, will be competing in the welterweight category (69 kg).

The much-delayed Tokyo Olympics are scheduled from July 23 to August 8, with the boxing events starting from July 24.

News source: PTI

Guwahati, Jul 20 (Olympics news) The Assam Assembly on Tuesday adopted a unanimous resolution, wishing luck to pugilist Lovlina Borgohain, the lone competitor from the state to take part in the Tokyo Olympics.

Moving the resolution, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika said Lovlina made the state proud by qualifying for the Olympics.

"We now wish her the best of luck and hope that she brings glory for our state and country by shining through her performance there," he said.

Hazarika also mentioned that both of her elder twin sisters are national-level boxers.

The minister said that a bicycle rally will be held in Guwahati on Wednesday to cheer for Lovlina and it will be flagged off by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The bicycle rally was being organised by BJP MLA Biswajit Phukan, who is the legislator of Lovlina's home constituency Sarupathar.

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, supporting the resolution, said Lovlina is an idol for the youth of the state and her success is a booster for sportspersons from rural areas.

Also read: From Satara to Tokyo: Archer Jadhav aims to make it big in Tokyo

He also proposed that if Lovlina could be made the sports ambassador of the state.

Bodoland People's Front (BPF) MLA Durga Das Boro emphasised on proper "control" and guidance for Lovlina when she returns as many sportspersons, who attain glory at a young age, fail to keep up the momentum.

Phukan, speaking on the hurdles Lovlina had to cross, said she has refrained from accepting commercial endorsements so far even though the money from such deals would have helped her family's economic condition.

The UPPL, AGP and CPI(M) also supported the resolution and conveyed their best wishes to her.

Lovlina, 23, who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in March last year, will be competing in the welterweight category (69 kg).

The state government had in June extended financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the Arjuna awardee to help her prepare for the mega sporting event.

The much-delayed Tokyo Olympics are scheduled from July 23 to August 8 with the boxing events starting from July 24. Lovlina has already reached Tokyo.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jul 18 (Olympics news) "It's like the big final exam after studying hard," said Indian boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, a touch nervous but mostly excited ahead of his own Olympic debut, aware that all the "good work of past four years wouldn't count if there is no medal to show in Tokyo".

In a telephonic interview to PTI before the nine Olympic-qualified boxers left for Tokyo on Saturday, Nieva spoke about the many changes that have been brought in to the boxers' approach and technique for a successful Olympic outing.

"A little tense, not all the times but sometimes. Mostly I am excited because it is like the final exam after all the hard work," Nieva said when asked about his thoughts heading to Tokyo.

"This is my first Olympics, I was there in London 2012 as an expert on the sport, if that counts for anything," he added.

The nine boxers and the support staff landed in the Japanese capital this morning and cleared the COVID-19 related health safety protocols to enter the Games village smoothly following expected procedural delays.

"Everything that we have done so far, all that we have worked on will not be appreciated if we don't get an Olympic medal. I am aware of that," Nieva said.

Before being appointed by the Boxing Federation of India in April 2017, Nieva was with the Swedish men's team and quit the position after the Rio Olympics.

The 47-year-old former bantam and featherweight boxer has also served as a manager of the Argentine boxing team and even competed for the country at the 1997 World Cup. Nieva was born in Argentina.

The five Indian male boxers who will compete in Tokyo are world number one Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Choudhary (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg).

The women in fray are six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg).

Nieva is primarily in charge of the men and he said several aspects of their game have improved considerably to give them a fair shot at a medal. Indian boxers could not win any medal at the 2016 Rio Games.

"I believe we have achieved the training targets that we set for ourselves, especially with this last trip to Italy, we could log the sparring sessions that we wanted," he said.

The aspects that needed to be addressed in the Tokyo-bound boxers included balance in the ring, punching while being held in clinches and the ability to think of a plan B without looking towards their corner for ideas.

"Clinch was a major issue in Indian boxing. We were not used to making the time in clinches count. It was random and poorly executed mostly. Now, I can say the scoring rate in clinches is 70-80 per cent better. The idea is not to stagnate," he explained.

"Also, lack of strength in close range boxing, that was an issue. For example, Amit is a fantastic long range boxer and we have made sure that he improved in close range as well. He is not the tallest boxer in his category, so he had to be better in close range boxing," he said.

Apart from this, Nieva said Indian boxers will step inside the ring in Tokyo with a better control over their minds.

"I am confident that it will be a stronger performance. They have to take control of the centre of the ring. They cannot evade that and expect to win. They have to control the pace, ease up a bit when in lead. The disbalance problem is also sorted now.

"They have to think quickly and adapt quickly to any situation without looking at the corner for tactical guidance. We have worked on all these aspects," he elaborated.

And what about the uncontrollables, like the COVID-19 threat, which is looming heavily over the Games? "We are dealing with it for over a year now. It is not coming as a shock to anyone anymore. We have kept ourselves in a good state of mind and made the health safety protocols a habit," he said.

With the Olympics, starting July 23, it is the completion of a cycle for Nieva and women's High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco, both of whom joined in quick succession.

"It has been an amazing ride. I was made to feel welcome from the very first day. My suggestions and inputs were taken in good spirit and I found it very easy to work in India. I can say I have been fortunate to work in the country," he said.

"I am also aware that nobody will like any of what I did if there is no medal in Tokyo and I am confident that we will meet the expectations of medals. But even otherwise, we have done our job to the best we could," he added.

Also read: World champion Gitika makes winning start at youth national boxing championships

Being an Argentina-born, football is Nieva's other passion and he recently drew happiness from Lionel Messi finally getting his hands on an international trophy -- the Copa America.

"Hopefully we can also do something great in Tokyo. I mean, watching Messi lifting Copa was so much happiness. He deserved it because he had worked so hard. Nobody deserved it more than him," he said.

News source: PTI

New Delhi, Jul 16 (Boxing sport news) An unprecedented nine Indian boxers will be taking the ring at the Tokyo Olympics, conscious of the fact that medal expectations from them are at an all-time high.

PTI takes a look at the five men and four women, who would be aiming to make amends for the no medal show in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the competition starting July 24 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, primarily a sumo wrestling venue, in the Japanese capital.

MEN: === AMIT PANGHAL (52kg) -- This flyweight is shouldering expectations that would be enough to bog down a super heavyweight in some cases. The world number one, the top seed, Panghal is being seen as a sure-shot medal for India in Tokyo. He knows it and he is revelling in the spotlight.

The Armyman from Haryana is a nice mix of controlled aggression and tactical acumen. His cabinet already has the World Championships and Commonwealth Games silver medals, an Asian Games gold medal, and multiple Asian Championships medals.

Competing in his maiden Olympics, the 25-year-old has been unstoppable for the past four years, starting with a breakthrough Asian Championships bronze back in 2017. Even in loss, he has hardly ever looked outplayed. But he does know his weaknesses well. A late starter and someone who tends to wear off a bit in the final three minutes, Panghal says he has addressed the issues in his desperate pursuit of an Olympic medal.

MANISH KAUSHIK (63kg) -- Also a debutant, also an Armyman and also a 25-year-old. Kaushik is the classic dark horse. He isn't the one hogging spotlight but before you know it, he might just have booked a medal.It happened at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (silver), it also happened at the 2019 world championships (bronze).

The soft-spoken son of a farmer from Devsar village of Bhiwani, that famed cradle of Indian boxing, Kaushik has harboured Olympic dreams since the time he saw Vijender Singh win that historic bronze in the 2008 Beijing edition.

Last year he was out of action for nearly 10 months after picking up a bicep injury during the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jordan. The Olympic postponement was actually a blessing for the boxer, who has worked on making his punches more impactful and improve stamina.

A bout of COVID-19 kept him from competing in the Asian Championships earlier this year but he has recovered well enough to be a strong bet if not the best bet for a medal.

VIKAS KRISHAN (69kg) -- Here comes the veteran of the pack. A two-time Olympian, among the most decorated boxers of all time in India, a man so experienced that he could well put together a list of dos and don'ts for all the debutants with him.

Another Haryana-fighter, Krishan personifies tact in boxing. He likes to plan is every move and on most times, he executes them to perfection. Having dropped the nonchalance of his early days, Krishan has grown into a more sorted fighter, thanks in no small measure to his stint in the US professional boxing circuit.

The 29-year-old will compete in his third and final Olympics and has ironed out some major chinks in his armour -- balance in the ring, close range boxing and the jab. He says his jab is now nearly perfect.

To get there, he has made sacrifices -- big and small -- the big one being staying away from his young children. He has seen them "grow up in photographs" in the past one year.

ASHISH KUMAR (75kg) -- The gritty customer from Himachal Pradesh's Sundar Nagar. He made the cut for Tokyo, a month after losing his father last year. The 26-year-old has been making steady progress in a weight category which a certain Vijender Singh made his own by scripting history more than once.

Ashish's Olympic journey hasn't been the easiest. He lost the man who wanted to see him reach this point a month before he made the cut.

And this year, COVID-19 caught him during a tournament in Spain. His athletic body absorbed the blow and he showed no symptoms.

Ashish seemed a bit off-colour in the recent Asian championships where a bronze came his way but the way he has battled adversities outside the ring, the Tehsil Welfare Officer in Himachal Pradesh's social justice department won't be the one to be taken lightly at the Games.

SATISH KUMAR (+91kg) -- The first super heavyweight to qualify for the Games but the one about whom not many are talking about. The 32-year-old is the oldest of the five-strong men's squad but surprise, surprise, he is an Olympic debutant.

Another farmer's son from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahar, Satish has medals at the Commonwealth as well as the Asian Games.

"Hamara naam kabhi akhbaar mein aata hi nahi, bout hi itne late hote hain hamare. Meri biwi ko doubt hota hai kabhi kabhi ke main boxer hun bhi ya nahi (My wife sometimes doubts if I am a boxer at all)," he had once said with a straight face reflecting on his relative anonymity caused by order of bouts which leaves the heavier categories for later and thereby out of newspaper reports.

He claims to have worked on a secret strategy for the Olympics and pace is another aspect in which he hopes to be a step ahead of the rest as heavier weight divisions are not particularly quick-moving in the ring.

WOMEN: ===== M C MARY KOM (51kg) -- If there is a name in Indian boxing which needs no introduction, it is Mary Kom. This 38-year-old icon would be eyeing a second Olympic medal, something that puts her heads and shoulders above all else in the Indian team.

A six-time world champion, her achievements and medals have become a bit difficult to keep count of. And the astonishing part, the Manipuri isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

The ring is quite literally her playground and it has remained so for more than two decades now.

Among the sharpest movers in the ring at the peak of her prowess, Mary Kom is, however, candid enough to admit that she has slowed down but to make up for that, she has worked on adding more muscle and thereby more power to her punches.

It remains to be seen how she handles the younger competition which awaits her at the Games. She is fittingly one of the two flag-bearers of the Indian contingent and has sharpened her hook to make sure that nobody takes her lightly.

SIMRANJIT KAUR (60kg) -- A powerhouse of talent from Punjab's Chakar village in Ludhiana, the 26-year-old lost her daily wager father in 2018, four months before she picked up her maiden world championship medal.

The sole breadwinner of her family, Kaur fought a battle of sorts outside the ring too when she kept knocking on Punjab government's door for a job to ensure that her sporting ambitions do not fall by the wayside in desperation to support her mother and two younger brothers.

She still hasn't got the job despite innumerable promises from the worthies in her state government. Aggression is the biggest asset of this fighter with an imposing frame and her punches have hard-to-miss power but she would like to be a bit more in control when up against dogged defenders, who are good at taking advantage of her natural instincts to launch into an offensive.

She endured a bout of COVID-19 in May when there was a virus outbreak in the national camp and her symptoms were quite severe for a good 2-3 days.

LOVLINA BORGOHAIN (69kg) -- The youngest in the Tokyo-bound women's boxing team is a low-profile, high-performing asset. The 23-year-old started out as a kickboxer, took to boxing in school and has since become a two-time world championship medallist already (2018 and 2019).

Her build-up to the Games has also been rocky. The youngster missed a training trip to Italy at the fag end of last year, testing positive for COVID-19 a day before departure. She had travelled to her hometown in Assam to visit her ailing mother and came back to test positive for the virus, robbing her of crucial training and competitive exposure.

Considered a technically sound boxer, it would be interesting to see how she responds to the pressure of being at the biggest sporting show.

POOJA RANI (75kg) -- A battle-hardened veteran, who felt shy to wear the gloves at the beginning of her career as "they look awkward on a girl". The 30-year-old has come a long way since those days to be an Olympian.

Also read: Boxer Saweety Boora wanted to quit sport after she was denied Olympic qualification chance

A product of Bhiwani's robust boxing culture, she had kept her sporting foray a secret from her father as she feared being stopped, even going to the extent of hiding her injuries by staying over friends' places.

She hasn't had the easiest of journeys. Her troubles began when she burnt her hand during Diwali celebrations in 2016, which was followed by a career-threatening shoulder injury in 2017.

She had given up on herself by that time but not entirely. Alone with no sponsors, she fought back to save her career and the perseverance paid off. She is now bound for Tokyo, where a bit of that perseverance might just help her get to the pinnacle.

News source: PTI 

New Delhi, Jun 28 In boxing news, Olympic-bound Simranjit Kaur, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gaurav Solanki and world championship silver winner Sonia Chahal have been nominated for the Arjuna award by the Boxing Federation of India.

Simranjit (60kg) is a 2018 world championships bronze winner and is among the four Indian women boxers who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, starting next month.

Solanki (57kg) had won his CWG gold in the 2018 edition, while Chahal (57kg) claimed her world silver in the same year. She is also a former national champion. Neither of the two could make the Olympic cut.

"The three names have been finalised based on their performances of the past four years," BFI Secretary General Hemanta Kalita told PTI.

The Arjuna award carries a prize money of Rs 15 lakh.

The federation has also decided to nominate women's assistant coach Sandhya Gurung and national youth head coach Bhaskar Bhatt for the Dronacahrya award.

Last year, world championships bronze winning duo of Manish Kaushik and Lovlina Borgohain were bestowed with the Arjuna award.

Monday was the last date to file nominations for the National Sports Awards, given away every year on August 29 on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyanchand.

Last year, 74 recipients were bestowed with the awards.

The prize money was also increased significantly with the Khel Ratna awardees receiving Rs 25 lakh, Dhronacharya (Lifetime) Rs 15 lakh, and Dhyanchand winners Rs 10 lakh.

The Sports Ministry had on May 20 invited applications for the National Sports Awards, allowing eligible athletes, coaches, universities and other entities to self-nominate and apply online for a second year running because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Till 2019, applicants needed recommendations to be able to apply but the condition was waived off last year as the COVID-19 lockdown prevented smooth movement of people. News source PTI

The ASBC Asian Boxing Championships, which marked the return of international boxing in Asia after the Covid-19 pandemic concluded on Monday with India bagging 15 medals surpassing it's previous best of 13 medals in 2019 in Bangkok.

The boxing event was jointly hosted by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and UAE Boxing Federation. The Championships featured 150 boxers from 17 nations including strong boxing countries like India, Uzbekistan, Philippines and Kazakhstan.

Here is the Complete List of Winners in all category :

Men's event 

Light flyweight (49 kg)

Gold - Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov, Uzbekistan 

Silver - Daniyal Sabit, Kazakhstan

Bronze - Orkhontungalagiin Önöbold,Mongolia; Mark Lester Durens, Philippines 

Flyweight (52 kg)

Gold -Shakhobidin Zoirov, Uzbekistan

Silver - Amit Panghal, India

Bronze -Azat Usenaliev, Kyrgyzstan; Saken Bibossinov, Kazakhstan

Bantamweight (56 kg)

Gold-Kharkhüügiin Enkh-Amar, Mongolia

Silver- Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov, Uzbekistan

Bronze - Akylbek Esenbek Uulu, Kyrgystan, Junmilardo Ogayre, Philippines 

Lightweight (60 kg)

Gold - Erdenebatyn Tsendbaatar, Mongolia

Silver- Danial Shahbakhsh, Iran

Bronze- Abdumalik Khalokov, Uzbekistan, Varinder Singh, India

Light welterweight (64 kg) 

Gold- Baatarsükhiin Chinzorig, Mongolia

Silver- Shiva Thapa, India

Bronze- Elnur Abduraimov, Uzbekistan; Bakhodur Usmonov, Tajikistan

Welterweight (69 kg) 

Gold- Bobo-Usmon Baturov, Uzebekistan

Silver- Ablaikhan Zhussupov, Kazakhstan

Bronze- Vikas Krishan Yadav, India, Battömöriin Misheelt, Mongolia

Middleweight (75 kg) 

Gold -Saidjamshid Jafarov, Uzbekistan

Silver - AbilkhanAmankul, Kazakhstan 

Bronze- Eumir Marcial, Philippines, Shahin Mousavi, Iran

Light heavyweight (81 kg)

Gold- Dilshodbek Ruzmetov, Uzbekistan

Silver -Meisam Gheshlaghi, Iran

Bronze- Shabbos Negmatulloev Tajikistan, Erkin Adylbek Uulu, Kyrgyzstan 

Heavyweight (91 kg) 

Gold- Sanjeet Kumar, India

Silver - Vassiliy Levit, Kazakhstan

Bronze- Sanjar Tursunov, Uzebkistan, Rustam Yrysbek Uulu, Kyrgystan

Super heavyweight (+91 kg)

Gold- Bakhodir Jalolov, Uzbekistan

Silver - Kamshybek Kunkabayev, Kazakhstan

Bronze - Abdulrahman Al-Anzi

Kuwait; Pouria Amiri, Iran 

Women Events



Light flyweight (48 kg)

Gold- Alua Balkibekova, Kazakhstan

Silver - Gulasal Sultonalieva, Uzbekistan

Bronze- Monika, India, Josie Gabuco, Philippines

Flyweight (51 kg)

Gold- Nazym Kyzaibay,Kazakhstan

Silver - Mary Kom, India 

Bronze- Nadeeka Pushpakumari, Sri Lanka; Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg, Mongolia

Bantamweight (54 kg)

Gold- Dina Zholaman, Kazakhstan

Silver- Sitora Shogdarova, Uzbekistan

Bronze- Sakshi Chaudhary, India, Erdenedalaigiin Michidmaa, Mongolia

Featherweight (57 kg)

Gold- Sitora Turdibekova, Uzbekistan

Silver- Vladislava Kukhta, Kazakhstan

Bronze- Mijgona Samadova, Tajikistan, Jasmine, India

Lightweight (60 kg)

Gold- Rimma Volossenko, Kazakhstan

Silver- Huswatun Hasanah, Indonesia

Bronze- Simranjit Kaur, India, Shoira Zulkaynarova, Tajikistan

Light welterweight (64 kg)

Gold- Milana Safronova, Kazakhstan

Silver- Lal Buat Saihi, India

Bronze-Mokhinabonu Abdullaeva, Uzbekistan, Noura Al-Mutairi, Kuwait

Welterweight (69 kg)

Gold- Valentina Khalzova, Kazakhstan

Silver- Navbakhor Khamidova, Uzbekistan

Bronze - Lovlina Borgohain, India

Middleweight (75 kg)

Gold- Pooja Rani, India

Silver-Mavluda Movlonova, Uzbekistan

Bronze- Mönkhbatyn Myagmarjargal, Mongolia ; Marina Volnova, Kazakhstan

Light heavyweight (81 kg)

Gold-Fariza Sholtay, Kazakhstan

Silver-Sokhiba Ruzmetova, Uzbekistan 

Bronze- Saweety Boora, India 

Heavyweight (+81 kg)

Gold-Lazzat Kungeibayeva, Kazakhstan

Silver-Anupama Kundu, India

Bronze-Hanan Al-Zeyoudi, United Arab Emirates; Mokhira Abdullaeva, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan dominated the tournament with 18 medals, followed by Kazakhstan with 16 medals. Although the Indian contingent finished their campaign with its best ever performance, bagging 15 medals, including two gold, five silver and eight bronze, India had to settle for the third Spot in the overall medal Tally, however with regards to gold, the ranking drops to 4th.
 

New Delhi, Jun 1 India's nine Olympic-bound boxers will travel abroad for a three-week training stint after getting a few days' break following a record-shattering medal haul by the country's pugilists at the just-concluded Asian Championships in Dubai.

Speaking to PTI, Indian men's boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva said the boxers will reach Tokyo for the Games, five to seven days before the start of the event from July 23.

"We will go abroad for training. The discussions are on and the place will be finalised in the next few days. It will be a three-week camp. We will come back to India to fine tune a few things, and then head to Tokyo five-seven days before the Games," Nieva said laying down the plan for the coming days.

The complete modalities of the planned trip will be revealed after the venue is finalised. The Indian boxing team has travelled quite a bit in the past few months for tournaments and training, including a lengthy trip to Europe.

The training at home has been sporadic because of the threat posed by COVID-19.

In fact, in April, national coach C A Kuttappa had tested positive for COVID-19 forcing him into quarantine for 10 days.

Indian boxers fetched their best ever medal haul of 15 at the event in Dubai, two more than their previous best performance. The medals clinched this time included two gold, five silver and eight bronze medals.

The only gold-winner among the Olympic-bound was Pooja Rani (75kg), while M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Amit Panghal (52kg) fetched silver medals.

The lone male boxer to fetch a gold was Sanjeet (91kg), who is not a part of the Olympic group.

Vikas Krishan (69kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) were among the Olympic-bound bronze-medallists.

The others to have made the cut for Tokyo are Manish Kaushik (63kg), Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg). Of these, Ashish lost in the quarterfinals in Dubai and Manish and Satish could not travel due to illness.

"Overall I am satisfied with the performance and I say this not just looking at medal haul. Amit was in terrific form, Vikas was just unlucky to get injured in the semifinals and Ashish also gave a good performance even though he didn't win a medal," Nieva said.

"Of course there are small issues to be addressed, more specific to individuals and we will do that in the few weeks remaining before the Games. I can say we are 80 per cent ready, we will sort the remaining 20 per cent," he added.

The small issues that Nieva referred to included close range boxing and body punches.

"There is certainly vast improvement and it will continue before we are absolutely ready for the Games," he said.

On to individual performances and Nieva felt Panghal was incredibly good throughout despite missing out on a second successive gold.

The diminutive Haryana-boxer lost an edge-of-the-seat final to old foe Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in what was a repeat of the 2019 world championship final, which had also ended in Zoirov's favour.

The Indian won the two of the three rounds but Zoirov had just the right combination of scores from individual judges to scrape through 3-2.

"I think this is at par with his best performances. He was unstoppable and looked really good. We all thought he won that final," Nieva said.

And then there was Sanjeet (91kg), who upstaged Olympic silver-medallist and tournament legend Vassiliy Levit in the finals. Kazakhstan's Levit was looking good for his fourth gold medal at the event but was stopped by the tournament-debutant Indian.

"Sanjeet has tremendous positive energy. He has worked hard to get where he is and his improvements are very clear. There were certain weaknesses in his game, especially at close range but he has improved quite a lot," Nieva said.

India found its own tournament legend in Shiva Thapa (64kg), who clinched fifth successive medal by finishing with a silver.

Nieva was all praise for the Assam boxer, who is also a world championship bronze-medallist. New source PTI 

New Delhi: Indian boxer Sanjeet put up a brilliant performance against the three-time Asian champion Vassiliy Levit in the men’s 91kg summit clash to clinch the second gold for the country at the Asian Championships in Dubai on Monday.

Sanjeet notched up a clinical 4-1 victory against the Rio Olympic silver medallist Kazkhak pugilist as Indian squad concluded their Dubai campaign with the highest ever 15 medals, featuring two gold, five silver and eight bronze. On the other hand, Amit Panghal (52kg) and Shiva Thapa (64kg) picked silver medals after losing their respective finals.

On Sunday Pooja Rani (75kg) won country’s first gold at the Championship. Experienced campaigner Mary Kom (51kg), Panghal, Thapa, Lalbuatsaihi (64kg) and Anupama (+81kg) earned silver medals. However, eight boxers—Vikas Krishan (69kg) Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Jaismine (57kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (54kg), Monika (48kg), Saweety (81kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) - settled for bronze at the event as the 19-member Indian squad pulled up the India’s best-ever performance surpassing the previous best of 13 medals attained during the 2019 edition in Bangkok.

“This has been a challenging year for all of us and despite all the uncertainties our boxers had to undergo, it is absolutely heartening to see them ending the Asian Championships campaign with 15 medals including 2 golds and some close decisions that of Amit Panghal and Mary Kom in the finals. Our boxers have yet again ensured a record-breaking feat and am extremely proud of each one of them,” BFI President Ajay Singh said.

“These performances I am sure will motivate all our boxers to put more efforts ahead of the Olympics and help realise the Mission 2021 by winning medals in Tokyo” he further added.

During India’s first bout, earlier on Monday night, defending champion Panghal lost to reigning Olympics champion Zoirov Shakhobidin in the men's 52kg final. The World Championships silver medallist fought hard against the world champion but it didn't prove to be enough for the Indian to bring down the Uzbek pugilist as he endured a narrow 3-2 loss with 29-28, 28-29, 28-29, 28-29, 30-27 scoreline.

During a high-octane 52kg final showdown between top two seeds, both the pugilists displayed great skills and attacked right from start. The second round featured Panghal taking time as he was more accurate, landing  timely and powerful punches along with being sharp in defense as well.

However, Shakhobidin bounced back well in time and managed to pull the match in his favour.  The Indian team, however lodged a protest against the verdict contesting round 2 decision but the Jury Commission did not accept it as Panghal settled for silver medal.

Later Thapa also faced a narrow loss by split 2-3 against the Asian Games silver medallist Baatarsukh Chinzorig of Mongolia. The world championships bronze medallist is the only second men’s pugilist in the world to bag five medals at the Asian Championships. The 27-year-old has previously picked gold in 2013, silver in 2017 and two bronze in 2015 and 2019.

New Delhi, May 31 It was a 10 on 10 for Indian women boxers as far as clinching medals at the Asian Championship was concerned but national head coach Mohammed Ali Qamar believes the gold count could have been higher than one if their training had not been disrupted by COVID-19.

The Indian women's boxing team will be returning with one gold, three silver and six bronze medals from the event in Dubai, ensuring that all 10 weight categories featured an Indian medallist.

Seven of these medals were secured on the day of draws itself thanks to the small size of competition.

"I am very satisfied with the performance overall. Yes, we could have got more gold medals but given that we hardly got to train before the championships, I cannot complain," Ali Qamar told PTI.

"All the silver-winners lost very close bouts and gave it their best. As a coach there is nothing more I can ask for," he added.

Ali Qamar was referring to the 2-3 losses endured by the Olympic-bound M C Mary Kom (51kg), and tournament debutants Lalbuatsaihi (64kg) and Anupama (81+kg). All three of them fought draining contests and fell short only marginally.

Olympic-bound defending champion Pooja Rani (75kg) was the lone Indian to clinch a gold.

Interestingly the championship bout was her first and only outing of the competition as she got a bye into the semifinals and a walkover into the finals.

The tournament proper might not have been all that taxing but women boxers had a tough time preparing for the event, which was to be held in India originally but shifted to Dubai because of the escalating COVID-19 crisis here.

Their national camp in Delhi's Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium was halted after several COVID cases came to light.

Those infected included Ali Qamar and women's boxing's High Performance Director Rafaelle Bergamasco.

Training was subsequently organised in Pune's Army Sports Institute a couple of weeks before the team's departure for Dubai and only a handful of Olympic-bound boxers, including Mary Kom, turned up for it.

"Mary had a very good tournament overall. She lost in the final but in my view the final round had been won by her but that's sport, you can't do much. With limited training, her performance is really praiseworthy," said Ali Qamar, who also became a 3 star coach by completing his course during the tournament.

Among the Olympic-bound group Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) lost in their opening bouts.

Kaur had entered the competition days after recovering from COVID-19 which had come in the way of her resuming training in Pune.

The national camp will now stay in Pune once the team comes back from Dubai.

"Training will be held in Pune only till Olympics. There is no other plan. It is an excellent facility," Ali Qamar said.

Pooja had been training at Bengaluru's Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) before the tournament. It remains to be seen whether she heads back there or joins the others in Pune.

"I am very happy because this tournament has also helped us prepare for the Olympics. It was a crucial tournament for us," said Pooja, whose tally of medals at the event has now gone up to four.

Apart from the successive gold medals, she had won a silver in 2012 and a bronze in the 2015 edition of the showpiece.

It has been quite a journey for the Bhiwani-boxer, who battled injuries and "a feeling of being finished" between 2016 and 2018.

The setbacks of that phase included a burnt hand, and a career-threatening shoulder problem for which she was recommended surgery.

The 30-year-old decided against it and relied on physiotherapy to fight her way back to the Asian gold in 2019.

She didn't look back after that and qualified for her maiden Olympic appearance last year. New source PTI.

Dubai, May 29  Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom (51kg) will seek her sixth gold when she squares off against Kazakhstan's Nazym Kyzaibay in the women's 51kg final of the Asian Boxing Championships here on Sunday.

The 38-year-old Olympic-bound Mary Kom had prevailed 4-1 over Mongolia's Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg in the semifinals on Thursday. She will face a stiff challenge from the two-time world champion Kyzaibay in the summit clash.

Another Olympic-bound boxer Pooja Rani, who received a walk-over in the semi-finals, will fight against an in-form Mavluda Movlonova of Uzbekistan, who ended the challenge of London Olympics medallist Marina Volnova in the last-4 stage.

Anupama (+81kg) and Lalbuatsahi (64kg) will also face strong Kazakh boxers in their respective finals.

On Monday, defending champion Amit Panghal (52kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg) and Sanjeet (91kg) will be seen in action in the men's gold-medal bouts on Monday.

Panghal will be up against 2016 Rio Olympics and world champion Zoirov Shakhobidin of Uzbekistan while Thapa will face Asian Games silver medallist Baatarsukh Chinzorig of Mongolia.

Second seeded Sanjeet will fight against 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist Vassiliy Levit, who is chasing his fourth gold medal of the Asian Championships.

The Indian boxers have already ensured their best-ever show by securing an unprecedented 15 medals, bettering their previous highest of 13 (2 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze) achieved during the 2019 edition.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has allocated USD 4,00,000 prize money for this championships. The gold medallists of men's and women's categories will be receive USD 10,000 each while the silver and bronze winners will take home USD 5,000 and USD 2,500 respectively.

Eight Indian pugilists -- Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Jaismine (57kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (64kg), Monika (48kg), Saweety (81kg) among women and Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) among men -- have secured bronze medals with their semi-final finish. New source PTI 

New Delhi: Indian boxer, Amit Panghal cruised into the men’s 52kg final at the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships as he outpunched  Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan in the last-4 clash in Dubai on Friday.

During the solid fight between World Championships silver medallist Panghal and bronze medallist Bibossinov, the Indian pugilist made a steady start and tried to keep a distance from his competitor. Later in the second round, Panghal looked more aggressive and landed some neat punches to put Bibossinov under pressure.

Panghal carried on the momentum throughout the game and dominated the Kazakh boxer to seal a resounding 5-0 win. In a quest for his second successive gold, the Indian pugilist will be up against Rio Olympic champion Zoirov Shakhobidin of Uzbekistan in the gold medal contest on Monday.

With this, India is now assured of at least five silver medals with four women boxers already qualifying into the finals earlier on Thursday. Indian contingent also achieved their highest medal haul with the confirmation of 15 medals , surpassing the former best of 13 (2 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze) from the 2019 edition held in Bangkok.

On Thursday Indian boxing great Mary Kom (51kg) along with three more Indian women boxers—Pooja Rani (75kg), Anupama (+81kg) and Lalbuatsahi (64kg)—advanced into the finals. The defending champion Pooja defeated Mongolia’s Munkhbat. Whereas in the other last-4 bouts contested late on Friday night, Lalbuatsaihi was named winner after her Kuwaiti opponent Noura Almutairi abandoned the fight in the second round following the Indian’s brilliant attack. Anupama (+81+kg) also notched up victory against Mokhira Abdullaeva of Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, the 54kg bout came as a heartbreak for India as the two-time youth world champion Sakshi Chaudhary, who was initially declared as winner, lost her berth in the final and had to settle for bronze after the opponent Dina Zholaman appealed to review the last round of bout. The jury upheld the appeal and changed the result in favour of Kazakh pugilist. Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Jaismine (57kg) Monika (48kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Saweety (81kg) are the other Indian women who secured bronze medals after suffering defeats in their respective last-4 clashes.

Mary Kom reached the finals of the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championship on Thursday after defeating Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg in the women’s 51kg semi-final in Dubai. The seasoned six time world champion took her time in the first round and landed timely and powerful punches against her Mongolian opponent. This was only her second event after recovering from dengue and the ace boxer took charge to win the game 4-1. Having already won five gold medals, Mary Kom will face Kazakhstan’s two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay, who defeated Sri Lanka’s Nadeeka Pushpakumari.

Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Monika (48kg) and Jasmine (57kg) suffered identical 5-0 defeats to Kazakh boxers Rimma Volossenko, Alua Balkibekova and Vladislava Kukhta and secured bronze medals after their semi-final bouts.

A sum of USD 4,00,000 prize money has been allocated by the International Boxing Association, AIBA for the prestigious tournament that is jointly hosted by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and UAE Boxing Federation. The gold medallists from the men and women category will be awarded USD 10,000 while the silver and bronze medallists bring home USD 5,000 and 2,500 respectively.

The Indian contingent has achieved their highest ever medal haul with 15, improving on the 2019 edition in Bangkok where 13 medals with two gold, four silver and seven bronze medals. 5 more Indian boxers including Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety (81kg) and Anupama (+81kg) will play their respective semi-finals this year.

Defending champion Amit Panghal (52kg) along with Shiva Thapa (64kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Varinder Singh (60kg) and Sanjeet (91kg) will compete in the last 4 stages on Friday. Shiva Thapa, who has secured a third successive medal at the Asian Championships will take on Bakhodur Usmonov of Tajikistan. Panghal will face Kazakh boxer Saken Bibossinov, who he defeated in the 2019 World Championships while Vikas will challenge the defending champion Bobo Usmon Baturov of Uzbekistan.

Indian pugilists Ashish Kumar (75 kg) and Narender (+91 kg) lost to Kazakh opponents in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Ashish lost to Asian Games silver medallist Abilkhan Amankul while Narender lost to two-time world championships silver medallist Kamshibek Kunkabayev.

New Delhi, May 26, 2021: India's Tokyo-bound boxer Simranjit Kaur alongside two other puglitists advanced into the semi-finals on the day two as Indian women assured the nation of 10 medals at the ongoing 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai.

With Simranjit (60kg), Sakshi (54kg) and Jaismine (57kg) advancing into the last-4 stage and Indian Boxing great MC Mary Kom (51kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Monika (48kg), Saweety (81kg) and Anupama (+81kg) starting their campaign in the semi-finals, women’s squad secured India a medal in each weight category.

While Shiva Thapa and Sanjeet also progressed in the men’s semi-finals, India is now guaranteed at least 12 bronze medals across categories so far at the on-going event.

The World Championships bronze medal winner Simranjit thrashed Uzbek pugilist Raykhona Kodirova 4-1 in the 60kg quarter-finals to secure her second consecutive medal at the Asian Championships. The punjab boxer who had clinched silver in the last edition of the event during 2019, will clash against Kazakhstan's Rimma Volossenko in the semi-finals on Thursday.

Sakshi and Jasmine also notched up comfortable wins in their respective categories. While Sakshi rattled Tajikistan's Ruhafzo Haqazarova 5-0 to stage a last-4 contest against 2016 World Champion and top-ranked Dina Zholaman of Kazakhstan. Jaismine defeated Mongolia's Oyuntsetseg Yesugen 4-1 to secure her first medal at the Asian Championships. Jasmine will challenge Kazakhstan's Vladislava in the semi-finals.

All the 10 Indian women pugilists including 6 time world champion Mary Kom, will be taking on the boxing arena on the fourth day of the Championship on Thursday as they will contest their respective semi-final games.

In the men’s 91kg quarter-final contested late in the night on Tuesday, Sanjeet recorded a sensational 5-0 victory to sail into semi-finals and assured second medal for India in the men’s category. Earlier in the day, Shiva Thapa (64kg) advanced into last-4 and secured his fifth consecutive medal at the Asian Championships.

The third day of the Championships today will feature five men Indian boxers, including Tokyo Olympic qualified pugilist Amit Panghal (52kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Ashish Kumar (75kg), playing in the quarter-final rounds. Narender (+91) and Varinder Singh (60kg) are the other two pugilists who will also be looking forward to making winning starts in the event and securing medals for the country.
 

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) The Indian boxing team, featuring the likes of M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Amit Panghal (52kg), reached Dubai to compete in the Asian Boxing Championships aboard an "air-bubble" flight, which had to stay mid-air longer than scheduled as administrative paperwork delayed its landing.

The tournament starts on Monday with the draws lined up for Sunday. It is the only major competition that the boxers will get before the July-August Olympics given the COVID-19 restrictions in place around the globe.

The team reached Dubai on Friday evening.

"There was some confusion regarding the approval letter for the trip which was eventually sorted thanks to the intervention of the Indian Embassy in the UAE. The flight took a while to land but the boxers have now reached their hotel," a source close to the team told PTI.

The Boxing Federation of India issued a statement, thanking the Indian ambassador to the UAE for his assistance but did not get into details of what caused the delay in the flight's landing.

"Indian contingent has landed in Dubai and reached the hotel. Two rounds of RT-PCR test have been conducted -- one at the airport and the other at the hotel. Indian team flew on SpiceJet flight under the air bubble agreement with all necessary and relevant permissions," the statement read.

"Boxing Federation of India is grateful to the Indian Embassy and Ambassador Mr Pavan Kapoor for his help in ensuring the contingent's participation at the 2021 ASBC Asian Championships. We are also thankful to the Asian Boxing Confederation and the UAE government," it added.

The 10-strong women's team is being led by the redoubtable M C Mary Kom (51kg) along with three other Olympic-bound boxers -- Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg).

Two Olympic-bound names missing from the men's team are Manish Kaushik (63kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg), both of whom are currently recovering from COVID-19. A total of five men have qualified for the Tokyo Games in July-August.

Apart from India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, and Uzbekistan are among the prominent countries which will compete at the continental showpiece.

India had delivered its best ever Asian Championship performance in the 2019 edition in Thailand, claiming 13 medals, including two gold, four silver and seven bronze. PTI PM KHS KHS

New Delhi, May 19 It's a tournament that she has dominated for years but the Asian Boxing Championship this time is more than just a medal-winning opportunity for M C Mary Kom, who is "desperate for competition" before the Olympics after training in India was thrown haywire by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mary Kom (51kg) has collected one silver and a staggering five gold medals from her seven appearances at the continental showpiece.

The six-time world champion can't wait to land in Dubai for the upcoming edition, which starts on May 24 because all she wants right now is a "good slugfest".

"I have been so eager to compete, there has hardly been any training because of the pandemic and I need this desperately to assess myself before the Olympics," the 38-year-old Manipuri told PTI from Pune, where she has been training for the past few days.

She had to move to Pune, along with a couple of other Olympic-bound women boxers, after the national camp in Delhi was forced to shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the bubble created at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium last month.

"It has not been easy. I was at home after coming back from the tournament in Spain (in March). My children were not well, we had to manage that and it comes with its own set of anxieties. Then, the camp in Delhi was called off because of COVID," she said.

"Something or the other kept affecting the training schedule. So the Asian Championship is important because I get to compete and there is nothing better than a good competition to help preparations," she added.

The few days of training that she has got in the highly-rated Army Sports Institute at Pune have been beneficial, according to the legendary pugilist, who also got her first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine there.

"I feel confident about my body. But as I always say, I will give my best, whether it would be enough to get a medal is something that only time will tell," said Mary Kom, reiterating her long-held pre-tournament position on medal expectations.

"I have also got the first dose of vaccine, so that's also a bit reassuring," she added.

The reassurance of being vaccinated was important for Mary Kom as she has been vocal about her apprehensions of travelling abroad for training amid the pandemic.

In fact, the Asian Championship was to be originally held in India but was moved to Dubai after COVID-19 cases soared in the country and international travel restrictions came into force.

"Look, how quickly the world has changed and we plan and plan and plan. Kuch pata nahi chalta (you never know). It is so important to stay in the present," said Mary Kom, offering a philosophical take on the uncertainty that has crept into daily life amid the pandemic.

She won't have her personal coach Chhote Lal Yadav to guide her in Dubai as he has only recently recovered from COVID-19 and his name could not be included in the delegation for the event.

Yadav is confident that Mary Kom will adapt well to the situation.

"She is experienced, for her, coming good in challenging situations is routine matter. She will be fine," he said.

All four women boxers bound for Tokyo Olympics -- Mary Kom, Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) -- will be in action at the event along with six others.

From the men's Olympic-bound group, defending champion Amit Panghal (52kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) will fight it out along side seven others even as Manish Kaushik (63kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) continue their recovery from COVID-19. News Source : PTI 

New Delhi: A full-strength Indian contingent is all set to contest at the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai this month. The event is jointly hosted by BFI and UAE Boxing Federation. The competition will kick start from May 24 to June 1.

Although the current travel ban had raised doubts over India's participation in the championships, BFI put up best efforts to make sure its boxers do not miss the opportunity of contesting in the illustrious event. The federation, which had earlier picked the women’s team spearheaded by the star boxer Mary Kom, also announced the men’s team headed by defending champion Amit Panghal. All the players along with coaches and support staff are already in the biosecure bubble.



“Players’ best interest has always been a priority for the Boxing Federation of India and now is no different. We are thankful to the UAE Government, Indian Ambassador to UAE Mr Pavan Kapoor and ASBC President Anas Alotaiba who have helped us in every possible way to secure the team’s travel to Dubai. This is a much-needed competition which is crucial for the final phase of training and preparation for the Olympics,” BFI President Ajay Singh said.

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the participating boxers along with the member nations, all the very best,” he further added.

Alongwith Asian Games gold medallist Panghal (52kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Ashish Kumar (75kg) are the other Olympic-bound boxers who have been selected into the men’s contingent. The other names featuring in the team are the 2013 Asian Championships gold medal winner Shiva Thapa (64kg), Commonwealth Games bronze winner Mohammad Hussamuddin (56kg), Vinod Tanwar (49kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Narender (+91kg).

The Asian Championships was the first boxing event to take off in the continent; the Championship was initially scheduled to be hosted in New Delhi. However, owing to international travel restrictions, the event had to be shifted to Dubai. The Indian contingent is expected to land in Dubai on May 22 and will be issued with visas on their arrival. All the top boxers and Olympic-bound pugilists are participating in the Championship.



Indian squad:

(Men): Vinod Tanwar (49kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (56kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Narender (+91kg).

(Women): Monika (48kg), MC Mary Kom (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jasmine (57kg), Simranjeet Kaur (60kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety (81kg) and Anupama (+81kg).

Pune, May 12 Olympic-bound Indian women boxers M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) were given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine here on Wednesday.

Both Mary Kom and Lovlina are training at the Army Sports Institute here. The training camp, sanctioned by the Sports Authority of India, will go on till end of the July. They were inoculated at the Command Hospital here.

"Alongside the duo, four members from the coaching and support staff team also received their first jab of the vaccine," the Boxing Federation of India stated.

While Lovlina, a two-time world bronze-medallist, had been training at the ASI for a while now, six-time world champion Mary Kom landed here on May 5.

Simranjit Kaur (60kg), also bound for Tokyo, will train here too but after completing the COVID-19 post-recovery isolation.

The boxers have been placed in three separate groups with two sparring partners each to ensure that the risk of infection is minimal.

However, Pooja Rani (75kg), who has qualified for the Games too, will continue to train at Bellary's Inspire Institute of Sports, which is her current base.

The training of women boxers was thrown haywire when 21 participants of the national camp in New Delhi, including High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco and head coach Mohammed Ali Qamar, tested positive for COVID-19 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on April 14.

Bergamasco and Qamar have since recovered. News Source : PTI 

Boxing sensation Arundhati Choudhary recently made history to become the first ever female boxer from Rajasthan to clinch a gold medal at the AIBA World Boxing Championships. She has come a long way from being an IIT aspirant to a state level basketball player and now a renowned boxer and is setting her sights higher to achieve more glory. 



In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Arundhati Choudhary speaks about her journey so far, winning the AIBA Youth World Championships, the importance of mental health, her future goals and advice to the next generation of boxers. 

Coming from IIT city of India Kota, how did you end up playing Boxing?

I used to play basketball in the fifth grade and due to my height my physical training teacher selected me for basketball. I have played state level Basketball as well. When I was named in the Nationals, my father said that I could perform really well in solo sports because in a team game one needs team support and suggested three sports - Boxing, Wrestling and Badminton. I have been quite aggressive in my nature right since my childhood. I asked him about each of the games and when he told me about boxing, I was so fascinated by it, that I decided to pick the sport as it compliments my nature really well and I can truly perform well.

How did it feel to script this historic win at the AIBA Youth World Championships ?

I'm really very happy. I was a part of the Indian team which in itself was a matter of great joy for me and the fact that I also played a role in history that our Indian girls scripted by winning 7 gold medals makes me happy. I'm very thankful to BFI, SAI, (Rohtak), Rajasthan Boxing Federation and my Academy for supporting me so much. It is because of them that I was able to achieve a gold medal.

How did you prepare for the Championship given the Covid-19 restrictions in India?

Yes training in the pandemic was quite difficult, but I worked really hard. No doubt the COVID situation was tough for a lot of people including me but from a training point of view, it went really well. My father has built a boxing hall for me in the school he is a chairman of and I worked very hard in it. I would train two times a day - in the morning and in the evening as my only target was winning gold in the World Championships.



You have won three gold medals at the Khelo India Games and won gold medals in 60 kg, 66 kg and 69 kg categories. What is your most special achievement so far?

Yes, I have won gold medals in all three Khelo India Games. However, speaking of special achievements, the World Championship was the most special one because while we had an Asian Championship in 2019, I wasn't keeping well and because of that I wasn't able to perform well and could only win a bronze medal. I was pretty upset that I could only bag a bronze medal for my country when I was totally capable of winning the gold. Nevertheless, up till now the most special of my achievements were the Youth World Championship only.

How big of a role does mental health play in a boxer's life?

Mental health plays a very important role in a boxer's life. You can’t do anything without being mentally strong and a boxer has to learn both winning and losing. It’s a lot more difficult to remain strong when you lose but it’s more important because the challenges increase. We have to improve our level, train harder so mental health plays a very important role. 

Who are the Boxers you look up to as your idols?

I don’t have other boxers as idols because I believe that if I see someone’s struggle in front of my eyes, I consider them my inspiration and role model. I have heard of other boxers but I have seen the struggle of my parents and coach in front of my eyes which is why my inspiration is my father because he has struggled a lot and continues to do so to this day. He has complete faith that the struggles he is going through today will lead to a big accomplishment in the future and I share his mentality. 



What are you next looking forward to? How do you feel about being selected for the senior training camp in Pune? 

I’m very happy about my selection in Pune because I’m getting the chance to work alongside renowned players such as Mary Kom and Lovlina because I’ll get to learn their techniques and make improvements on my mistakes with their guidance. My target is to get selected for the World Championships which will be held later this year and win a gold medal for our country. 

Any message for the youngsters, especially girls who aspire to have a career in boxing?

Discipline is extremely important for boxers along with determination and dedication. Without the desire to win it’s impossible to be competitive in this sport. Discipline is also fundamental because without maintaining a proper diet and getting adequate rest, it will be impossible to achieve anything. It’s important to have the 3D’s which stand for discipline, determination and dedication.

The ASBC Asian Men’s & Women’s Boxing Championships 2021 scheduled to take place in New Delhi, has been shifted to Dubai, UAE  due to the  COVID-19 surge in India and will be held between May 21to 31.

Puglists born between 1980 and 2002 are eligible to contest in the event in ten weight categories both for women and men.

The Indian Women's Contingent, led by 6 time World Champion MC Kom (51 kg) looks promising with the inclusion of Tokyo Olympic bound boxers like two time World bronze winner Lovina Borgohain (69 kg) and Pooja Rani (75 kg)

Monika (48 kg), Sakshi (54 kg), Jasmine (57 kg), Saweety (81 kg) , Anupama (+81kg) are the other names included in the Women's Contingent.

Indian Boxing legend MC Mary Kom will start as the title favourite in the Dubai event. Kom, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, six-times AIBA Women's World Champion, five-times ASBC Asian Women's Champion, and Asian Games winner who triumphed most of her titles in the light flyweight (48kg) category, will participate in the flyweight category (51kg) due to the Olympic weight categories.

With the prominent Chinese, Japanese, DPR Korean and Vietnamese boxers in this weight category, giving the tournament a miss, Mary Kom will definitely be a favourite to win the event. She returned to the international arena after a year's break, at the Boxam Tournament held this March, bagging a bronze medal. Her major rival in the upcoming tournament could be Kazakhstan's Nazym Kyzaibay who is a two-time AIBA Women's World Champion.

Other Participating nations at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, host United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Defending titleholders in ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships

Women’s 48kg: Josie Gabuco, Philippines

Women’s 51kg: Pang Chol Mi, DPR Korea

Women’s 54kg: Shi Qian, China

Women’s 57kg: Lin Yu Ting, Chinese Taipei

Women’s 60kg: Yang Wenlu, China

Women’s 64kg: Dou Dan, China

Women’s 69kg: Gu Hong, China

Women’s 75kg: Li Qian, China

Women’s 81kg: Pooja Rani, India

Women’s +81kg: Yang Xiaoli, China

Men’s 49kg: Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov, Uzbekistan

Men’s 52kg: Amit Panghal, India

Men’s 56kg: Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov, Uzbekistan

Men’s 60kg: Erdenebat Tsendbaatar, Mongolia

Men’s 64kg: Bakhodur Usmonov, Tajikistan

Men’s 69kg: Bobo-Usmon Baturov, Uzbekistan

Men’s 75kg: Tursynbay Kulakhmet, Kazakhstan

Men’s 81kg: Bek Nurmaganbet, Kazakhstan

Men’s 91kg: Kim Hyeong Kyu, South Korea

Men’s +91kg: Bakhodir Jalolov, Uzbekistan

New Delhi: Indian boxing star MC Mary Kom along with other Indian women boxers including  two other Olympic-bound pugilists Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) have been picked in the elite women national camp which is all set to resume in Pune, at the Army Sports Institute, as part of boxers’ preparations for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.  

The decision to shift the camp to Pune which will go on till July 31, was taken after a massive spike in the Covid-19 cases. Jamuna Boro (54kg), the 2019 World Championship bronze medallist is also making a comeback to the national camp after a long break owing to an injury as her name is also included among the 10 boxers picked to participate in the national camp.

Whereas Pooja Rani (75kg), another Olympic qualified pugilist, who has been training at IIS Bellary from the time of  lockdown, will continue her training at the same venue for now. 

The national training camp will take place with a secure training module, which will have players divided into 3 different groups along with their respective sparring partners and coaches and they will be training at different scheduled times within the group.

Hemanta Kalita, General Secretary of Boxing Federation of India said, “With the Asian Championships and the Olympic Games approaching, our focus will be to utilise the time we have in hand and maximise the training ahead of these two events. Considering safety of players, coaches and support staff, we have created a training plan for players in separate clusters to minimise the risk involved. These are tough times but as much as we have to be careful, we also have a job at hand and we are ensuring our boxers can get back to camp and start training and working to get the best results possible,” 

Arundhati Choudhary (69 kg) the pugilist from Rajasthan, who had been brilliant during her gold medal victory at the recently concluded AIBA Youth World Championship in Poland, has also been named in the camp along with Manju Rani (48kg), Sonia Lather (57kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg) and Shashi Chopra (64kg). Jasmine (57kg) is another highlight of the camp. She was highly impressive during her first senior international outing in Spain at the Boxam Tournament earlier in March where she clinched a silver medal. 

The boxers will be accompanied by a 10-member team of coaches and support staff including Head Coach Md Ali Qamar and Foreign Coach Raffaele Bergamasco. 

New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) Indian women's boxing's High Performance Director Raffaele Bergamasco and head coach Mohammed Ali Qamar are among 21 campers who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here but none of the infected pugilists are bound for Olympics. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) issued a statement to confirm the development at the camp but did not give away names of those affected. However, a source close to the team told PTI that the top members of the coaching staff are among those who have tested positive. "Precautionary COVID tests were conducted at the National Coaching Camp for Elite Women Boxers at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi and 21 campers, including players and coaching staff, have tested positive. None of them however are Olympic-bound boxers," the SAI stated. All those who have tested positive are asymptomatic and they have been moved to a quarantine zone as per the SAI protocol. "The Olympic-bound boxers as well as other campers, who tested negative, are placed in a safe zone at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. It is SAI's utmost effort to ensure containment of the spread of virus," it said. The source revealed that the outbreak has resulted in training being halted for the time being. "Both Raffaele and Ali Qamar are positive along with some other assistant coaches. Olympic-bound are not positive but they might have come in contact with those who have tested positive during sparring, this would need more monitoring," he said. "Everyone has been quarantined. No training for now," he added. The four women boxers who have qualified for the Games are M C Mary Kom(51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg). Wednesday's development comes after 10 from the men's contingent tested positive for the dreaded virus in March at their training base in Patiala. In view of the growing COVID-19 cases across the country, SAI is conducting weekly precautionary tests for athletes, support staff and administration and strict quarantine norms have been set up. PTI PM AH AH

New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) Two assistant coaches at the national camp for Indian women boxers here have tested positive for COVID-19 and quarantined with mild symptoms. The development was confirmed to PTI by a source close to the team, which is training at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here. "Two women coaches have tested positive so far. They have been quarantined but the camp is progressing as scheduled," the source said. This comes after 10 members of the men's contingent in Patiala, including national head coach C A Kuttappa, were found positive in tests conducted a few days ago. It is also learnt that following the positive reports of the two coaches, who are down with fever, other members of the camp were also tested on Monday. "Some of the boxers have also been unwell but none of them are from the Olympic-bound group. The results of the tests conducted at the camp on Monday are still awaited," the source said. "A few security guards have also been ill and have been quarantined along with some other support staff but whether they have COVID is still to be known," he added. Nine Indian boxers -- five men and four women -- have so far qualified for the Olympics in Tokyo. The next major assignment for the Olympic-bound group is the Asian Championships in Delhi from May 21 to 31. The women's team for that event has already been announced and will be spearheaded by six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg). Mary Kom will be training within the country as she gears up for the Games and will not be travelling to Serbia for an exposure trip later this week. The other women boxers who have made the cut for Tokyo Olympics apart from Mary Kom are Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg). Among the men, Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) have qualified for the July-August quadrennial showpiece, which had to be postponed by a year because of the pandemic. India has witnessed a massive surge in its COVID-19 case load in the past few days with lakhs of fresh cases being reported. Delhi recorded over 10,000 cases on Sunday.

New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) Olympic-bound six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) will spearhead the Indian women's challenge in the Asian Boxing Championship slated to be held here from May 21 to 31. Mary Kom is a six-time Asian medallist, including five gold medals. She had opted out of the previous edition of the event in 2019. She recently won a bronze medal at a tournament in Spain, her first competitive outing since qualifying for the Olympics a year ago. Another prominent name in the team for the continental showpiece is two-time world bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (69kg). The Assam boxer is also bound for the Olympic Games. Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) are the other Tokyo-qualified boxers in the squad. Kaur had claimed a silver medal in the previous edition of the championship, which was held in Bangkok. Rani, on the other hand, would be aiming to add a second successive Asian gold to her kitty. She won the top honours in 2019 in the 81kg division. Rookie Jasmine (57kg), who clinched a gold medal in her maiden international competitive outing last month in Spain, has got the nod ahead of the more experienced Manisha, who was a bronze-winner at the 2019 Asian meet. Jasmine defeated Manisha in the selection trials. Also in the squad is former junior world champion Sakshi. The Team: Monika (48kg), Mary Kom (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jasmine (57kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Pwilao Basumatary (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety (81kg), Anupma (+81kg).

New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom and Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal are among 12 Indian boxers who stand just a win away from securing medals at the Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain after finding themselves in quarterfinals when draws for the event were unveiled.

The tournament features all of India's nine Tokyo Olympics-bound boxers along with five others.

Mary Kom (51kg), competing for the first time since qualifying for the Olympics last year, will take on Italian Giordana Sorrentino in her opening bout on Wednesday.

Panghal (52kg), who won a gold medal at the Cologne World Cup in Germany in December last year, will be facing local favourite Gabriel Escobar in his quarterfinal clash after getting an opening-round bye.

Vikas Krishan (69kg), another strong medal contender for Tokyo, is also in the quarters after getting a bye and will take on Vincenzo Mangiacapre of Italy.

Also through to quarters due to the relatively small size of the draw were Asian silver-medallist Ashish Kumar (75kg), and Sumit Sangwan (81kg), who is returning to competition after enduring a period of turmoil due to a doping suspension that was later lifted after he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Of the two, Ashish is bound for Tokyo along with Satish Kumar (+91kg), the first super heavyweight from the country to qualify for the quadrennial showpiece. Satish is also in quarters at this tournament.

Joining them in the last-eight stage is Sanjeet (91kg), a promising name coming up who found spotlight with his India Open gold in 2019.

Among the women, Jasmine and Manisha, in the 57kg category, are also through to the quarters after getting byes.

The Olympic-bound trio of Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) will also be competing in the quarterfinal stage on Wednesday.

Manish Kaushik (63kg), assured of a Tokyo spot and making a comeback after an injury layoff, did not get a bye and will fight Spaniard Abdellaoui Raddouane for a place in the quarters on Tuesday.

Also in action would be Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg), who will be up against another local hope in Joan Manuel Torres.

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) The celebrated M C Mary Kom will be seen in action for the first time since qualifying for the Olympic Games last year in March when the veteran, along with eight other Tokyo-bound boxers, compete in next month's Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain.

The 37-year-old flyweight boxer, who is a six-time world champion, last competed at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Jordan in March last year. The tournament in Spain is scheduled to be held from March 1 to 7.

She was laid low by dengue late last year and joined the national camp in Bengaluru only last month.

Also returning to competitive action at the same event would be Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg) after recovering from a knee injury.

World Championship silver-medallist Amit Panghal (52kg), who won gold in the recently-concluded Cologne World Cup in Germany, will also compete at the Spanish event.

Joining him in the event would be Hussamuddin Mohammed (57 kg), Vikas Krishan Yadav (69 kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Satish Kumar (+91 kg).

Of these, Amit, Vikas, Ashish, Satish and Manish have qualified for the Tokyo Games.

Asian Games gold medallist Vikas is returning from a pro boxing stint in the US where he could not take part in any competitive bout because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the women, a new face in Jasmine will fight in the 57kg category alongside Asian Championship bronze-medallist Manisha Moun.

Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) -- all of who are bound for Tokyo -- are the other Indian women boxers named for the event in Spain.

Apart from this, 12 other pugilists will compete at the 72nd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament scheduled from February 21-28.

In the men's category, Asian medallists Deepak (52Kg) and Kavinder Singh Bisht (57Kg) will lead the charge alongside Naveen Boora (69Kg), Ankit Khatana (75Kg), Sachin Kumar (81Kg), Naveen Kumar (91Kg) and Manjeet Sandhu (+91Kg).

The women's team comprises Jyoti (51Kg), Sakshi (57Kg), Shashi Chopra (60Kg), Lalita (69Kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (75Kg).

The boxers are currently training in Bellary's Inspire Institute of Sports.

New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) Their Olympic preparations back on track after the disruption caused by COVID-19, Indian boxers will be travelling extensively to compete in various European tournaments in the next couple of months starting with the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria.

In a conversation with PTI, Indian boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva revealed that apart from an international schedule, he would also like to see the national championships take place some time before the Olympic Games.

"This year, we are starting with the Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria, then hopefully a tournament in Hungary and one more after that. Apart from this, we will be staying put at Bengaluru for the national camp and probably invite some foreign teams if they agree to come," Nieva said giving a lowdown of the plans for the next six months.

Strandja Memorial is one of the oldest boxing competitions in the European circuit and is widely considered a season-opener. In its 72nd edition this year, it is scheduled to be held from February 21 to 28 in Sofia.

Nine Indian boxers -- Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg), M C Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), and Pooja Rani (75kg) -- have qualified for the Olympics.

Some more may grab Tokyo tickets in the world qualifiers set to be held a month or two before the Games, postponed by a year to the current one owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Games are scheduled in July-August.

Speaking of the pandemic, Nieva said the disruption was expectedly frustrating but the Indians more than made up for the lost time during their two-month-long European sojourn in November-December during which they participated in two competitions as well.

"The SOP for COVID in the Patiala national camp barred sparring, so it was nice to get some sparring after a long break. It was much needed and it has helped us stay competitive and we are good now, back on track." After being halted completely because of the pandemic in March last year, the national camp had resumed in August in a controlled environment, open only for the Olympic-bound and Olympic prospects.

However, the boxers were not allowed to access the ring or spar for fear of infection, severely affecting their overall training regimen.

"The boxers needed competition for the sake of motivation and they got two during this Europe trip, it was a huge boost because the disruption had an impact. Not just us, every country has felt a setback and everyone has dealt with it differently," Nieva elaborated.

The Swede said he wouldn't mind a national championship before the Olympics as it would give crucial competition to boxers who are not in the camp and are starving for training and competition.

The convention in an Olympic year is to have the nationals after the quadrennial showpiece.

"If it is safe, then I would like to see the national championships soon. Perhaps in a bio-bubble, it would be great to keep boxers motivated because without competition, it is difficult to just go on training.

"I know it won't be easy to have a bio-bubble given the numbers and scale of it but we can at least give it a thought and check if it is possible. It won't be a bad idea," he said.

"The likes of Brazil and China have had their Nationals, we can try too." The national championships could not take place last year because of the pandemic.

The boxers are currently in Bellary's Inspire Institute of Sports, a high performance facility founded by JSW Sports and which has shooting ace Abhinav Bindra and former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on its advisory board.