South Asian Games – Indian Preview
Amazing Indian team in the South Asian Games
India will be the host of the upcoming South Asian Games where the boxing tournament will be one of the highlight of the multisport event in 13-16 February. Their line-ups contains stars therefore India is the top favourite to get the team title in the boxing tournament of the South Asian Games in Guwahati, Shillong.
Five-times AIBA Women’s World Champion and Incheon 2014 Asian Games winner Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte returned in the Rio Test Event where she lost her semi-final bout against US National Olympic Trials winner Virginia Fuchs but her skills are enough to do big things in the Olympic year. Firstly she is the top favourite for the gold medal in the upcoming South Asian Games.
Former AIBA Women’s World Champion Sarita Devi Laishram is their another veteran boxer who returns also after a short break following her participation in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games. The Indian Lightweight class (60 kg) veteran has been there also as Mary Kom when women boxing was born and started its long road to the success.
India’s third woman boxer in the South Asian Games will be Pooja Rani who claimed silver in the ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships and member of the national team since 2011, competed also in AIBA and other important event. 24-year-old Rani is the main gold medal contender of the Women’s Middleweight class (75 kg).
Their men team comprised also the top squad of India and has got chance to win most of the weight classes on home soil. London 2012 Olympian Devendro Laishram Singh was silver medallist in the 2013 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Amman and proved his skills several times in the Light Flyweight class (49 kg).
India’s Flyweight class (52 kg) boxer will be 25-year-old Madan Lal who is also a strong favourite in Shillong where his main rival could be from Pakistan. London 2012 Olympian Shiva Thapa was bronze medallist at the Doha 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships but could not get an Olympic quota to Rio de Janeiro yet. Thapa is India’s best man boxer who is focusing to the Qualifiers therefore the possible gold medal in the South Asian Games would be raised his confidence.
Dheeraj Kumar is a new face in the national team who claimed silver medal at the World Military Games in Korea last October where he could beat strong rivals from Kazakhstan and Germany as well. The Lightweight class (60 kg) boxer will be replaced Vikas Malik and Manish Kaushik in the national squad.
Commonwealth Games winner Manoj Kumar involved to the national squad still in 2006 and since then he competed several big events with success. ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist Mandeep Jangra will be their Welterweight class (69 kg) boxer India’s top Middleweight class (75 kg) boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav, who was silver medallist in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Bangkok, also invited to the national squad once again.