World Boxing Championships: Indian boxers eye medals and Olympic berth

• Manoj Kumar will be eyeing a podium finish

Indian boxers will be put through a tough test when they kick-start their campaign in the World Amateur Boxing Championships, beginning in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday. The Indians will be hoping for a podium finish and in the process will look to secure their Olympic berths. A total of 6 Indians have managed to book their slot in the championships including Vikas Krishnan, Shiv Thapa and Devendro Singh.

Despite the ongoing buraeucracy chaos back home, the boxers have shown tremendous courage which reflected in their brave performance in the recently concluded Asian Boxing Championships, where they finished a decent fourth among 28 countries. The boxers would definitely miss competing under the national flag because of the suspension of the boxing federation, and would continue to compete under the AIBA flag, as they did in the Asian Championships. Vikas Krishnan, who won the silver medal in that event, had expressed his disappointment over not playing under the Indian flag. "When I saw the final medal tally, there was no India. And when they announced my name after my bout, they said, silver goes to Vikas, from AIBA", he said recently. Chief National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu remained optimistic about India’s chances in the World meet. “The boys are very confident. It is again a very tough challenge but we have prepared as much as we could have and let’s see what happens now. These boys have given fantastic results despite everything and I am hoping this would continue here too”, he said. Satish Kumar will take part in the 91-kg category and has a first-round bye, while Devendro Singh will open his account against Harvey Horn in the 49-kg category. Asian Championships silver medallist Vikas Krishnan will begin his campaign against Hungarian Zoltan Adam Harcsa in the 75-kg weight category.

Pugilist Madan Lal will play Italian Vincenzo Picardi in the 52-kg area, while promising youngster Shiv Thapa will fight Algerian Khalil Litim in the crucial 56-kg category. Another medal hopeful Manoj Kumar meanwhile, will kickstart his campaign against Morocco boxer Abdelhak Aatakni in the 64 kilogram category. Indian star boxer Vijender Singh who recently turned pro, wished the Indian boxers and is confident about the performance of the 6 boxers. "I wish them all the best for the World Championships. I know a lot is going on in Indian boxing right now and it's not easy to stay focussed but they are doing a fabulous job", said the former Olympic medallist.