India will have an unprecedented seven boxers in the Olympic Games after teen sensations Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) earned their London tickets by advancing to the finals in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan today.
Two other Indian boxers - Manpreet Singh (91kg) and Paramjeet Samota (+91kg) - missed out on a London berth while the already-qualified Vijender Singh (75kg) settled for a bronze.
The 18-year-old Shiva, in fact, became the youngest Indian boxer to make the cut for the Olympics by beating Japan's Satoshi Shimizu 31-17 to enter the final of the event which was the region's last qualifying tournament.
"It was a superb performance. He was down a point in the first round due to overt aggression but did not panic and played from medium range in the next two rounds to win and win big," national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu told PTI from Astana. "Most of his points came through right straight punches," he added.
A 19-year-old L Devendro Singh had booked his London berth in the last year's World Championships, tying with Debendra Singh (1996 Atlanta) as the youngest Indian boxer to make the Olympics. But the 1993-born Shiva broke this record today.
The Assam teenager, playing only his second senior international event (he won a gold in his maiden senior tournament), was down 6-7 in the opening round. But he turned the tables in the second round, taking a massive 15-6 lead.
The final three minutes followed a similar script as Shiva clinched it with ease. He will face Wessam Salamana of Syria in the summit clash tomorrow.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
