Amit Panghal wishes for personal coach and physiotherapist ahead of Tokyo Olympics 2020

What's the story?

Amit Panghal, India's premier amateur boxer in the Flyweight division, has expressed his desire for a personal coach and physio. The wish comes ahead of the flagship event in the world of sports, the Olympics.

The background

Amit Panghal is one of India's biggest medal hope for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The young pugilist has brought many laurels for the country in the past.

With a Gold each at the Asian Games (2018) and Asian Championship (2019), and a Silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games -- Amit proved the calibre he had. However, his most impressive feat is a Silver medal at the World Championships in September 2019. He became the first Indian boxer to win a Silver at the premier event in the world of boxing.

With this medal, the Rohtak-born player sparked hopes of a podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics.

The heart of the matter

In the run-up to the Olympics, Amit is currently training in the national camp. The absence of a personal sports physiotherapist and coach is causing Panghal's training to suffer a little.

The World Number 1 boxer in the 52 Kg (Flyweight) category is hopeful of the situation to change. Amit has even suggested the name of Anil Kumar Dhankar, his childhood coach. Along with Anil, he has also suggested physio Dr Rohit Kashyap, who is a veteran in the field.

Chhote Lal Yadav is attached to the camp as an assistant coach catering to the needs of national campers, but primarily ooking after the training of M C Mary Kom. Similarly, the BFI can rope in Dhankar and Kashyap, who can serve the national campers in all alertness, with the main focus on Amit's training and injury management."

Rohit has been associated with the senior men's boxing team in the past. According to sources, Amit has approached the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) in regard to this wish.

It is not that Amit is unhappy training with the current coach Santiago Nieva. However, he feels that the presence of Anil and Rohit will help him in putting that final effort.

The Olympics is a challenging endeavour and training for it is also no mean feat. Both Dhankar and Kashyap have played pivotal roles in shaping up Amit's career.

What's next?

BFI's coaching commission had advertised openings in various positions on December 12, 2019. The commission is set to review the applications on January 6, 2020. It is known that Anil Kumar Dhankar has applied for the coaching position.

SAI's eligibility criteria for recruiting a coach in the senior camp is that he/she must have a minimum of three years of experience in training junior and youth pugilists in BFI organized camps.

Anil does not meet this particular criterion but clears all the others. It remains to be seen if the coaching commission is ready to make an exception on Amit's suggestion.