boxing, Asian Olympics, gold medal, India, New Delhi, Sakal Times
NEW DELHI: Vikas Krishan has made it to the Indian squad for the Asian Olympic qualifiers on his return to amateur boxing. The 27-year-old beat national medallist Duryodhan Singh Negi in the 69-kg final of the men’s trials that was held on Monday in Bellary, Karnataka, by a unanimous verdict.
The two-time Olympian recovered from a back injury after a short unbeaten stint in professional boxing in the run-up to the trials. He had earlier beaten Ashush Kulheria on Sunday.
“The win here pushed me one step closer to realizing my dream of getting an Olympic medal for my country. I also want to thank BFI and my coaches for their continuous support in my comeback,” said Krishan after his win.
SOLANKI TO THE FORE
The Commonwealth Games medal winners Gaurav Solanki (57kg) and Naman Tanwar (91kg) also made the squad after winning their respective final bouts. Asian silver medallist Ashish Kumar (75kg), veteran Satish kumar (+91kg) and Sachin Kumar (81kg) also booked their places in the squad.
In a highly competitive 57kg category, Gaurav Solanki held his own to stave off the challenge of Asian Championships silver medallist Kavinder Singh Bisht in a split verdict.
Solanki showed nerves of steel as he repeated that performance over Thailand Open silver medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin in the final to confirm his berth.
“Getting a win over the experienced Kavinder and Hussamuddin in such a tough category gives me immense confidence ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers and I would give my 100% to seal a place for India,” said an elated Solanki.
Amit Panghal (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (63kg) are already part of the squad thanks to the silver and bronze medals they won respectively at the 2019 men’s World Boxing Championships held at Yekaterinburg in Russia from September 9 to 21.
GOOD DEPTH IN TALENT
The close bouts at the trials gave a good example of the depth of Indian men’s boxing, which is currently enjoying an all-time high with consistent performances and a host of medals from elite tournaments.
“There were very strong competitions with close bouts in each of the categories. The final squad looks really strong,” said Santiago Nieva, Indian men’s boxing team’s High Performance Director from Sweden.
ROAD TO TOKYO
The Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying tournament will be held from February 3 to 14, 2020 in Wuhan, China.
MEN’S SQUAD
Amit Panghal (52kg)
Gaurav Solanki (57kg)
Manish Kaushik (63 kg)
Vikas Krishan (69kg)
Ashish Kumar (75kg)
Sachin Kumar (81kg)
Naman Tanwar (91kg)
Satish Kumar (+91kg)
