Know your Indian boxers: 5 hopefuls for the 2016 Rio Olympics
Devendro(2nd from left), Thapa(3rd from right), Manoj and YadavA small Indian contingent will be amongst the 260 boxers who will look to battle their way to the summit of the AIBA World Amateur Boxing Championships that begin tomorrow in Doha, Qatar. The second-most prestigious boxing tournament will run from the 5th to the 18th of October and is the first qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics.Cuba have been the most successful team in the tournament’s history, with 121 medals, including 67 golds. Russia take the second spot, with 59 medals, of which 20 are golds. The United States of America are third, with 41 medals (16 golds) and Asian powerhouses Kazakhstan are fourth, with 32 medals (10 golds). India have an unimpressive tally of 2 medals, both bronze. But with the talented line-up of boxers heading into the current tournament, this number might just see a sharp rise in the next week. Apart from hoping for India’s first gold medal at the tournament, people will also hope that we see a fair number make it through to the next Olympic qualifier and evetually, all the way.Here, we take a look at India’s top prospects at the Worlds
#1 Shiva Thapa
Date of Birth: 08/12/1993 (Age 21)
Height: 5”6’ (168 cms)
Division: Bantamweight – 54 Kgs
The young Guwahati lad was inspired by icon Mike Tyson’s matches to take up the sport seriously. In the 2012 Asian Olympic Qualifiers, Thapa secured the gold medal by beating Syrian Wessam Salamana, and became the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics (London 2012). He is known for his fast footwork.
Thapa won a silver medal in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Thapa’s father is a karate instructor and his brother is a boxer too, who has won medals in Assam’s state-level competitions. Thapa is supported by Anglian Medal Hunt Company, an organisation that supports young Indian athletes, with particular emphasis on the Olympics.
Shiva Thapa is ranked 3rd in the bantamweight category in the AIBA Men's World Ranking. He has participated in several walkathons and marathons held for charitable causes.