Nikhat, Lovlina to spearhead Indian challenge at World Championships
The squad was finalised on Thursday following week-long assessment at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala during which the boxers were tested for their skills, endurance, discipline, and resilience.
'The assessments were held in round-robin format with each boxer competing against 3-4 opponents. The process was quite exhaustive,' boxing interim committee chief Ajay Singh said on the sidelines of the felicitation organised for the 17 World Cup medallists from Brazil and Kazakhstan legs. Each gold medallist received a cash reward of ₹2 lakh, silver medallists ₹1 lakh, and bronze winners ₹50,000.
BFI's interim committee has chosen to stick with the much-debated evaluation system from the previous Olympic cycle, meaning there were no trials for the team selection. The toppers in each weight division got an automatic berth for the Worlds.
'The boxers were primarily tested for their strength, conditioning, and endurance. Maximum points were reserved for sparring. There are also points for attendance, discipline, and weight management,' a member of interim committee informed.
Nikhat had forfeited her final against Jyoti Gulia at the Elite Women's Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad earlier this month due to a cut above her nose but came back strongly in the assessment. Besides Nikhat and Lovlina, the bulk of the squad features medallists from the World Cup in Astana with Meenakshi Hooda (48kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Sanju Khatri (60kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), and Nupur Sheoran (80+ kg) all topping the assessments in their respective brackets and making the cut.
The men's team wears a new look with the likes of double World Cup medallists Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) and Hitesh Gulia (70kg) qualifying. The lightweight division has been short of experience post Paris with both Amit Panghal and Deepak Bhoria out of the national camp. In their absence, the 20-year-old reigning national champion and Brazil World Cup bronze medallist, Jadumani Singh Mandengbam, topped the 50kg assessment and punched his ticket to Liverpool. Among heavier weights, Jugnoo Ahlawat topped the 85kg class while the experienced Narender Berwal aced the 90+ division.
'I have improved technically after the twin World Cup experience. I will try to be aggressive from the first round itself as judges always prefer dominant boxers. I hope to make an impression on my World Championships debut,' said Hitesh.
Teams:
Women's: Meenakshi Hooda (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Sanju Khatri (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (60kg), Sanamacha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), Nupur Sheoran (80+ kg)
Men's: Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach jr (60kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Jugnoo Ahlawat (85kg), Harsh Chaudhary (90kg), Narender Berwal (90+ kg).
India-China to build boxing ties
In a first-of-its-kind development, Indian boxers will train with their Chinese counterparts as the two nations seek to build boxing ties. A total of 42 junior girls and boys along with national coaches and physios will travel to China for 15 days next month in a move that the interim committee believes will upgrade the standards of Indian pugilists.
'We stand to gain a lot with this alliance. China are generally not open to foreigners training and sparring with them but they are impressed with the talent of our youngsters. We have been in talks for a few months and it has finally come to fruition,' a committee member said.
Meanwhile, interim committee chief Singh assured the BFI elections will take place by the end of next month in accordance with World Boxing diktat. BFI elections were due in February-end but were delayed after a series of litigation.
"The world body wants us to conduct elections by August 31, so we will tentatively hold the elections by Aug 27-28. We will start the process 21 days before that date, which means in the first week of August," he said.
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