Ulaanbaatar: Indian boxers will aim for a good show at the Asian Championships, beginning here on Monday, as they look to make the most of their opportunities in a packed season and secure direct berths for the multi-sport events later this year.
The tournament marks the first major outing in a loaded season that includes the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July-August), the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (September-October) and the World Boxing Cup Finals in Uzbekistan.
Apart from the medal rush, the championships assume added significance as finalists will earn direct qualification for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, in line with the Boxing Federation of India’s selection policy.
The Indian team has been acclimatising in Mongolia for the past 15 days, training in multinational camps and sparring with boxers from Mongolia, China, Jordan and Thailand.
The women’s challenge will be led by Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg), reigning world champions Minakshi Hooda (48kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg).
While Lovlina comes in after a gold-winning effort at the Boxam International in Spain in February, it will be the first international outing since November for Zareen, Hooda and Jaismine.
“These Asian Championships will be a strong test. We know that Asian boxing has improved the level over the last decade, many of the world’s strongest teams are in Asia,” women’s head coach Santiago Nieva told PTI.
“Our history tells us that we can win medals. So, we are targeting several medals, but for us it is important to have people in the final, and there’s not many times we’ve had more than one gold, and obviously a gold medal makes a difference.
In the women’s draw, Preeti Pawar will face Elina Bazarova of Kazakstan in the 54kg category, while Priya takes on Kazakh boxer Rimma Volossenko in 60 kg.
Minakshi will face Japan’s Yuka Sadamatasu, while Pooja Rani be up against Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Ryabets.
Zareen, Jaismine, Ankushita Boro, Arundhati Choudhary, Borgohain, and Alfiya Patahan have received first-round byes.
While the women are expected to deliver, the men’s team has ground to make up after a
disappointing World Championships campaign last year, where the male boxers failed to win a medal for the first time in 12 years. There has also been a change in the coaching setup, with army-man C.A. Kuttappa returning for a third stint as head coach.