"We are hoping for at least three medals from the boxing team" - BFI secretary Hemanta Kalita
Exuding confidence in the six-member strong boxing contingent for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary general Hemanta Kumar Kalita said he is expecting at least three medals from the pugilists.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist and reigning world champion in women’s 75kg category, Lovlina Borgohain will spearhead the Indian women’s challenge in the ring, alongside two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Asian under-22 champion Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Jaismine Lamboria (57kg).
The men’s team features World Championships silver medalist Amit Panghal (51kg) and bronze medal winner Nishant Dev (71kg).
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Kalita said that the federation is hoping for at least a couple of medals from the four female boxers in the fray, and one from the two men boxers.
“We are hoping for at least three medals from the boxing team, there could be one more or less, and that depends on their performance on the day. One might say these are high hopes but as a member of the federation, we have closely been associated with our boxers throughout the Olympic cycle, and they have proved themselves in big-ticket competitions,” said Kalita.
“As such we are expecting two medals from the women boxers and one from the men. Anything beyond that is a bonus, but I don’t want to jinx it, and will keep the number to a realistic chance. It’s also important to understand that the predictions are made based on their performances in the last three years,” he added.
High hopes from Northeast region
One of the strongest contenders for a podium finish, Lovlina is the sole representative from Assam, and one of the four from the Northeastern part of the country in the Indian contingent. The other three athletes from the region are Tokyo silver medalist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu (Manipur), member of Tokyo bronze medal-winning men’s hockey team Nilakanta Sharma (Manipur) and archer Tarundeep Rai (Sikkim).
Lovlina, who became only the third Indian boxer after Mary Kom and Vijender Singh to win an Olympic medal three years ago in the Japanese capital, picked the bronze in the 69kg welterweight category. But with the 69kg category removed from the Paris 2024 programme, she had to switch over to the 75kg to continue her pursuit for a second Olympic medal.
Kalita believes that the experience gained in Tokyo will keep the 26-year-old Assamese pugilist in a good frame for another shot at glory in Paris. He admitted that the level of expectations will certainly go up once she takes the ring this time.
“Lovlina went as a debutant to Tokyo and returned with a bronze. More than the medal, it was the experience that she gained from the Tokyo Olympics, that will help her in Paris. It’s not easy to qualify for Olympics in a country of 1.4 billion people, but she has maintained her consistency, which is really important,” he explained.
“We are hoping that she will change the color of her medal in Paris. Ever since she switched weights to the 75kg, she has been performing consistently. She has a gold at the World Championships, and a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, she will take the ring as an experienced campaigner this time. So naturally there will be expectations from her,” he added.
Kalita also spoke highly of Nikhat, who made her Olympics debut in Paris, but has the experience of winning the big-ticket tournaments. Another strong medal contender in Paris, the 28-year-old from Telangana has been on a roll in 2024, winning the gold at the Elorda Cup in May after picking a silver at the Strandja Memorial. In her final competition before Paris, Nikhat won the gold at the Grand Prix in Czechia.
“If you closely look at her graph after qualifying with a bronze in the Asian Games, Nikhat has been doing the hard yards and her performances are a proof of that,” he said.