Guwahati: For the first time, India will be hosting the youth boxing championships and a total of 192 pugilists from 38 countries across the world will be vying for top honours in the flyweight, featherweight, lightweight middleweight and heavyweight categories. The tournament is slated to take place from November 19 to 26 in Guwahati.
The Indian contingent’s fine displays in the recent exposure trips to Kazakhstan, Turkey and Bulgaria has led to talks of the Indian girls finishing on the podium on home soil. A medal finish ensures that the boxers will earn a chance to seal a spot in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Here is a brief look at the Indian squad:
Niharika Gonella - 75 kg (Hyderabad)
Sports runs in the family for Gonella, who is widely tipped to earn India a medal in the Championships. The 17-year-old is the daughter of a former national-level handball player and her elder sister, Naganika, is also an established boxer.
Armed with silver in the youth World Boxing Championships in 2015, the Hyderabadi stands every chance of adding another feather to her cap in her fledgling career. Gonella took the sport only four years ago and has bagged a silver medal in the recent exposure tour in Turkey.
Achievements: - Silver in 2015 World Youth Boxing Championship held in Taipei, silver in Five Nations Cup 2015
Ankushita Boro - 60 kg (Guwahati)
Ankushita Boro announced her arrival on the big stage by winning back-to-back silver medals in two Youth International Championships recently. Working her way up from humble beginnings in Thelamara, the 17-year-old is an attacking pugilist and was inspired to take up the sport by her brother, a volleyball player.
Boro’s tryst with boxing started by accident when a friend asked her to come and compete in a local tournament, aged just 12.
Her year started with a bang as she went on to win bronze in the junior Nationals. She also won a silver her first international trip earlier this year.
Boro is currently a student of Dakshin Junior College in Guwahati and the boxing bug has also bitten her younger sister. Being a local girl, there is little doubt that she will get the loudest cheers when she takes to the ring.
Achievements: Silver in Balkan youth championships, Silver in Ahmet Comert Boxing Tournament, Istanbul, Bronze in 2017 Junior National Championships
Vanlalhriatpuii - 60 kg (Mizoram)
Vanlal, the youngest of four siblings, took up boxing with the aim of earning two square meals a day but has done a lot more since she went for the local boxing trials in early 2014.
The daughter of bus driver was selected for a mentorship program by the Mizoram Boxing Association and the Mizoram Sports Authority and her rise has been meteoric since then.
With access to better facilities, she soon became the School Games Champion and a gold at the National Championship opened the doors further, earning her a berth in the National Youth team earlier this year. Vanalal’s tall frame aids her reach in the ring and she boasts of some giants upsets under her belt and stood toe-to-toe even against the International boxers during her exposure trips.
Achievements: National Championship gold
Neetu, 48 kg (Haryana)
Neetu is expected to win India a medal as she comes into the tournament after landing a gold last month in Bulgaria. Neetu is living her father’s dream and has been mentored by renowned coach Jagdish Singh, who used to coach Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh. People stood up and took notice of her post winning gold in the 2015 Nationals.
Achievements: Gold in Bulgaria youth championships, Gold in All India SAI Tournament, Bronze in 2016 National Championships
Jyoti - 51 kg (Haryana)
Jyoti parents, who are farmers, were against her taking to the sport but the girl spent much of her childhood making up an excuse to step inside the ring. Her interest in the game was stoked by her neighbour’s sons winning a gold medal in a local competition.
Jyoti, though, had her sights set on big things and won several competitions. Her parents came to know about her secret only when she was selected to fight in the state championships in 2012, which was another tournament she won. Like many of her teammates, the Haryana pugilist comes into the tournament on the back of good form.
Achievements: Sliver in National Games 2013
Gold in Serbia’s Golden Glove tournament
Silver in Istanbul’s Ahmet Comet tournament
Sakshi - 54 kg (Haryana)
Sakshi, like Neetu also hails from Bhiwani and was marked out as one future stars of Indian boxing when she stunned USA’s Yarisel Ramirez in the final of the junior Worlds in 2015. The national champion has been in superb form, having won gold in the Balkan Open in Bulgaria last month and also winning a bronze and a silver during the exposure trips in Serbia.
Another common factor connecting Neetu and Sakshi is that the latter is also a protege of Jagdish Singh and is surely one of the names to watch out in the hosts’ roster.
Achievements: Balkan youth International championship - gold
Junior World Championship 2015 - gold
Sashi Chopra - 57 Kg (Haryana)
Chopra initially took to wrestling before becoming a boxer and idolises Olympic bronze medallist badminton star Saina Nehwal. A year ago, Chopra was not in the reckoning but bulldozed her way into the squad on the weight of strong performances, which saw her win gold in Bulgaria and silver at Istanbul.
Compared to her teammates, Chopra’s weight category is evenly matched with no outright favourites. This could aid her dream in becoming a world champion.
Anupama - 81 kg (Haryana)
Like Chopra, Anupama journey started with wrestling before turning to boxing. Once she donned the gloves, there was no looking back as she travelled to Faridabad from her village to pursue her dream.
Her success also prompted one of her three sisters to take up the sport and is coached by Olympian Jai Bhagawan. Anupama won silver and a bronze respectively in Serbia and Bulgaria and also has her four national golds to show for her effort. She will start her campaign knowing that she already has a medal to her name in the competition.
Achievements: Balkan Youth Championships - bronze
Golden Gloves Serbia - silver
Neha Yadav - 81+ kg (Haryana)
Yadav too, is assured of a medal, but there is every chance that India’s heavyweight boxer may change the colour of it, having proven recently that she can outbox opponents who weigh far heavier than her. Yadav showed that at Bulgaria when she beat the heavily fancied Juhasz Adrienn from Hungary. She has been trained by yesteryear boxer Rajinder Singh.
Achievements: bronze in golden glove boxing tournament
Youth International tournament Bulgaria - gold
Astha Pahwa - 69 kg (Uttar Pradesh)
Pahwa was an acclaimed Wushu artist before turning to boxing. She even won the silver in the Chinese martial art form in the 2013 state championships. She took to boxing only in 2014 and since then, her rise has been rapid. She has picked up six gold medals across various tournaments in the last two years.
Achievements: Silver in Golden Gloves Serbia tournament