Who is Satish Kumar? Bio, achievements and records of India's boxer at Olympics 2021
Indian boxer Satish Kumar hammered Jamaica's Ricardo Brown 4-1 to swiftly advance to the quarterfinals of the Olympics 2021. Satish, who played his first match on Thursday after an initial bye in the draw, comfortably sailed past his Jamaican opponent with a split decision score.
Satish Kumar's childhood and early boxing days
Satish Kumar Yadav is an Indian amateur heavyweight boxer. He was born on 4th May 1989 in a family of farmers in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. Inspired by his brother, who served in the Indian Army, Satish joined the force in 2008 as a sepoy.
There was a time when Satish mistook amateur boxing for WWE. As he got more familiar with the sport, the tall and stout youngster found his calling.
Satish started his Olympic campaign with a win today.
Satish Kumar's Olympics qualification
Satish cruised past Kazakhstan's Otgonbayer Daivii to earn the Olympic cut at the Asian Olympic Boxing Qualifiers.
He is the first heavyweight boxer from India to qualify for the super heavyweight category.
Satish Kumar's recent achievements
Satish stepped into the international boxing world in 2013. It wasn't a smooth start. He was injured in the 2013 World Test Championship and declared medically unfit to continue. He had to settle for a silver medal.
But Satish soon made a tenacious comeback. His back-to-back medals and performances at the 2014 Asian Games (Incheon) as well as the 2015 Asian Boxing Championships (Bangkok) announced his talent to the world. He bagged two bronze medals in both the Championship Games.
2016 was arduous for Satish. In a huge setback, as he was forced to sit out of the Rio Olympics due to an injury. He later made a strong comeback with a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Before his Commonwealth Games appearance, he clinched gold at the Grand Prix Ustinad Labem in the Czech Republic and also won silver at the inaugural Indian Open.
Satish Kumarβs biography
Date of Birth: 4 May 1989 (age 32)
Birth Place: Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India
Sport/Event(s): Boxing, 91kg category
Satish Kumar's major achievements
2011:
Silver - Senior National Championships
2013:
Gold - Senior National Championships
2014:
Bronze - Asian Games
2015:
Silver - Asian Championships
Gold β Senior National Championships
2018:
Silver β Commonwealth Games
Satish Kumar's next opponent:
Satish has a golden opportunity to capitalize on the momentum from his first win at the Olmpics 2021. He will move forward into the quarterfinals with passion, aggression, and commitment.
Satish will be up against Uzebkistan's Bakhodir Jalolov, the reigning world and Asian champion, on Sunday.
Also read: India in Tokyo Olympics 2021 India Schedule