Paris 2024 Olympics: 5 Indian boxers set to train in Germany ahead of the Games
As many as six Indian boxers have made the cut for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Five of them are set to travel to the Olympics Centre in Saarbrucken, Germany.
The lot will undergo a month-long training camp as a part of their final preparations for the Summer Olympics Games. The camp will commence on June 28, 2024.
Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, Nishant Dev, Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, and Amit Panghal are the six Indian boxers to have qualified.
The likes of world champion Nikhat (50kg), 2023 World Championships bronze medalist Nishant Dev (71kg), Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) along with Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) are set to train alongside the national squads of Ireland, USA, Mongolia, Germany, and Denmark among others.
Amit Pangal, however, will stay back and carry on his training at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) centre at Shilaroo with his coaches and support staff. The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medalist will join the rest of the contingent in France ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"The training camp in Saarbrucken will not just provide the Indian contingent an opportunity to spar with quality boxers from different countries, it will also help them acclimatise well before the Games as the weather conditions in Germany are similar to the ones they will encounter in Paris," Hemanta Kumar Kalita, Secretary General, Boxing Federation of India (BFI), said in a statement.
India will look to improve on their boxing medal tally at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Among the six Indian pugilists to have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics, four are female boxers and two are male boxers. Five of them will be training in Germany with the preparatory camp set to go on till July 22, 2024. After the completion of the camp, they will head to the French capital to participate in the Games.
Looking at India's history at the Olympic Games as far as boxing is concerned, the country has managed to win only three medals. All three are bronze medals. Vijender Singh bagged India's maiden Olympic medal when he won the bronze in 2008.
With her bronze medal in 2012, legendary Mary Kom swelled the medal list. By winning a bronze in the recent Tokyo Olympics, Lovlina Borgohain gave India their third boxing medal at the Games.
Participating in her second Olympics, Lovlina will have a golden opportunity to become only the third Indian and second woman from the country to win consecutive Olympic medals.
Come the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Indian boxing contingent will certainly be keen to improve on the medal tally with an impressive showing.