M C Mary Kom managed to surpass even herself, obliterating everyone and everything else along the way in a tumultuous year for the sport.
As another eventful year draws to a close, Rediff.com gives you a pictorial look back at the best and worst moments that shaped the sports stories this year.
The state units affiliated to Boxing India on Wednesday claimed ignorance about the International Boxing Association's decision to constitute an ad-hoc committee for administrating the sport in India, even as it planned to write to AIBA about proposing a date for conducting its elections.
National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu says the four-year-long administrative logjam cannot escape blame for all that has gone wrong with the once flourishing sport.
Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh criticised boxer Sarita Devi for refusing to accept the bronze medal during the Incheon Asian Games victory ceremony last year, saying it was not proper to protest that way.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography Playing It My Way saw its launch in the national capital today as the event celebrated the book's crossing a record 200,000 copies.
Vikas Krishan, one of the three Indian boxers to qualify for the Rio Olympics, is confident of winning a bronze medal at the upcoming Games, which could be his last.
Teen sensation Shiva Thapa (56kg) reaffirmed his status as the rising star of Indian boxing, becoming the youngest pugilist from the country to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Monday. India, suspended internationally for nearly a year due to administrative wrangling in the federation, rounded off the campaign with a gold, two silver and a bronze medal while fighting under the International Boxing Association's flag.
The looming threat of an Olympic expulsion has ended for Indian boxers after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) agreed to extend the deadline for formation of the proposed new federation, which took another step forward by getting itself registered as a society.
Medals galore at most tournaments they gloved up for and an administrative recovery that heldout promise of a better future -- there were loads to celebrate in Indian boxing this year, during which quite a few punched above their weight.
Determined to keep the Olympic dream alive despite the long-standing administrative mess, a spirited Indian boxing team, featuring the likes of M C Mary Kom and Shiva Thapa, will take off on Monday night for the Asian Qualifiers in Qian'an City, China. Ten men and three women form the 13-strong team which will be in action from March 25. In the men's competition, only the top three boxers in each weight category will make the Olympic cut with the third spot decided via a box-off between the two bronze-medallists. In the women's draw, only the gold and silver medal winners will qualify for Rio de Janeiro. In the absence of a recognised federation, the Indians will once again compete under the flag of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). "It is going to be a very tough tournament because not many from the Asian region qualified during last year's World Championships. I am expecting around 30 countries and more than 250 boxers to be there at this event," national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu told PTI ahead of the team's departure.
A new body is in place to run boxing in India but the turmoil in the sport seems far from over with the Indian Olympic Association sitting on Boxing India's request for recognition even as its ad-hoc committee invited entries for next year's National Games despite having no validity.
Concerned about the administrative logjam in Indian boxing, Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom said future seems dark for the country's pugilists, who are losing motivation to train.
Every medal is a story of struggle, says the indomitable M C Mary Kom, who considers her fifth Asian Championship gold medal special as it came despite the many roles she has had to play outside the ring in the past one year.
India's best medal hope, five-time World boxing champion M C Mary Kom lived up to expectations as she beat Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan to win the gold medal in the flyweight category (48-51kgs) at the Asian Games, in Incheon, on Wednesday.
Faced with the herculean task of reviving the sagging fortunes of Indian boxing, newly-elected Boxing India President Sandeep Jajodia said the sport had been left 'orphaned' in the last couple of years and he would bring it back on track with clean administration.
Frustrated by Indian Olympic Association's refusal to grant them recognition, Boxing India President Sandeep Jajodia said he was 'baffled' by IOA's logic.
She understands the emotion behind L Sarita Devi's tearful protest on the Asian Games podium but M C Mary Kom, who became the first Indian woman boxer to win gold at the mega-event, said faced with a similar crisis, she would have shown dissent differently.
The national trials for the event were scheduled to be held on August 16 and 17 in Patiala but were postponed till the end of this month with neither the boxers nor the coaches having any clue about the reasons.
A tough draw will put their grit to test when the three-member Indian boxing team begins its Olympic campaign, aiming to lift the gloom that pervades the sport back home owing to the long-standing administrative mess.
National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu explains how the administrative mess in Indian boxing is hurting.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
Here is the current state of play among the 28 Olympic sports.
More than half of the suspended Indian Boxing Federation's state units met in an "informal conclave" in New Delhi on Sunday and decided to write to the international body, seeking the appointment of an interim committee to run the sport in the country, besides conducting a "free and fair" re-election.
The former Olympic and World Championship bronze-medal winner's return to the ring is being closely watched after the sabbatical he was forced into due to a drug scandal earlier this year.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) could soon allow professional boxers to compete in big-ticket amateur events like the Olympics, British professional boxing star Amir Khan has revealed, saying that he would grab the chance as and when it comes along.
Having offered an unconditional apology for an emotionally-charged protest during the Asian Games medal ceremony, Indian boxer L Sarita Devi hoped that her outburst will ensure better judging at next month's World Championship in Korea.
With only one Asian Games gold to show after four days of competition, India's hopes of improving on their medal tally in China four years ago are diminishing fast.
Indian boxing's biggest names are demanding an all systems reboot to halt the sport's decline after a medal-less Olympic campaign in Rio and their roadmap goes beyond having the much-delayed national federation.
Indian boxer L Sarita Devi's refusal to accept her bronze medal on the podium went against the values of sportsmanship, Asian Games organisers said on Thursday, adding they were reviewing the incident and could take action against her.
As the one-year ban for the tearful outburst at the Asian Games ends on Thursday, former World champion Laishram Sarita Devi says the forced sabbatical proved a blessing in disguise and helped her become a thinking boxer and calmer person.
Entrusted with the task of undoing four years of damage, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh says the bickering that has ruined the sport is not very difficult to control and he is confident of bringing in a professional approach in the set-up with his corporate experience.
Vijender Singh gives up amateur boxing to turn full-time professional, perhaps the words ring truer than ever.
'Shooting is number one.' 'Archery, wrestling, badminton and boxing.' 'These are the five where we stand the best chance of winning a medal.'
As preparations for the Rio Olympics gather pace, India may be headed for yet another paltry medal haul.
'A few months ago, everybody was saying, "Why isn't Vijender taking part in the Olympics?"' 'This is not like going to Haryana or Delhi that you just take a ticket and reach there.' 'Going to the Olympics is not easy'
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Paris Masters ahead of the tournament's start on Monday for "personal reasons", the French Tennis Federation announced on Friday.
The year 2014 has been an eventful one for India. The country got a new government and a new state, broke new frontiers in various fields and of course its share of controversies.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances