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.
Paralympic gold-winners Avani Lekhara, Sumit Antil, Pramod Bhagat, Krishna Nagar, Manish Narwal were also given the Khel Ratna at a dazzling awards ceremony on Saturday.
Eight men and five women from India will be aiming to secure Tokyo Olympics berths at the continental event being conducted by the International Olympic Committee's Boxing Task Force. The Indian hopes will be spearheaded by Panghal and Mary Kom, both proven and consistent performers on the big stage.
Sarita (60kg), who was banned for a year due to her emotional outburst at the Asian Games medal ceremony after losing a controversial semi-final bout, returned to the country from the Chinese city of Qian'an on Friday. The Manipuri fought three bouts and won two of them during the competition which featured rivals from hosts China, Korea, Mongolia and Thailand.
An outraged Indian boxing contingent lodged a protest and demanded a review of L Sarita Devi's semi-final bout at the Asian Games after the veteran pugilist lost despite a dominating performance against home favourite Jina Park.
Mary Kom stormed into the quarter-final after beating Kazakhstan's Aigerim Kassenayeva in the second round of the 48kg category of the AIBA Women's World Championships, in New Delhi, Sunday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
Three Union ministers came out in support of boxer Sarita Devi as sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal sought a report from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on pugilist's controversial loss against Korean boxer in the semi-final of the Asian Games in Incheon.
'All I am saying is just give me a chance. It is my dream to compete in the Olympics too.'
'I am not saying let me go to the Olympics. I am asking for a fair chance for a trial.'
'All these years I have been training for what? What is the point if I cannot compete?'
Five-time world champion Mary Kom, who got a direct entry into the 48kg category semi-finals due to the small size of the draw, defeated Ukraine's Hanna Okhota in the semi-finals to be assured of at least a silver.
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.
A summary of Indian athletes' showing at the Commonwealth Games on Day 3.
Rookie Manisha outclasses two-time bronze medallist Christina Cruz
The celebrated MC Mary Kom needs to win just one bout to secure herself a medal, while Vikas Krishan got a bye into the men's pre-quarterfinals as Indian boxers were handed reasonably good draws in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Tuesday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Olympic bronze medallist M C Mary Kom has resumed training in Bengaluru post her eight-month long family break from the boxing ring after winning the gold medal in last year's Asian Games.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
The Indian boxers' campaign in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers was off to a disappointing start with all three in action, on Saturday, including former Commonwealth Games champion Manoj Kumar (64kg), bowing out with opening round losses in Qian'an, China.
Schedule of Indian athletes in the 20th Commonwealth Games on Monday (July 29).
Sarita, Nikhat also enter semis
At a colourful ceremony, which included a presentation of India's indigenous martial art forms, dances and sports, Modi said technology has contributed to a sedentary lifestyle.
MC Mary Kom began her campaign in style by outpunching Sweden's Juliana Soderstrom in her opening bout of the AIBA World Women's Boxing Championships in Astana.
Indian boxing got the first glimpse of Dingko's talent at the 1989 sub-junior nationals in Ambala where he became a champion as a 10-year-old.
The Indian Medical Association and the Chhattisgarh Medical Officers' Association on Monday came out in support of a surgeon who has been sacked from service and arrested for his alleged "dereliction of duty" while conducting sterilisation procedures in Pendari village in the state on November 8 which claimed lives of 12 women.
Indian pugilists ended their campaign at the 17th Asian Games with five medals as Vikas Krishan and Satish Kumar settled for bronze medals after losing their semi-final bouts against respective opponents.
It turned out to be a largely disappointing day for Indian boxers at the Asian Games with former World Championship bronze-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) being the only one to advance, making the quarter-final, while three others fell by the wayside.
Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom set her Asian Games campaign rolling in style as she out-punched Korea's Kim Yeji to enter the quarter-finals along with two other Indian women boxers in Incheon on Saturday.
Asian Games bronze medallist Pooja Rani (75kg) entered the pre-quarter-finals in the AIBA World Women's Boxing Championships with a hard-fought victory over Ukraine's Mariya Borutsa, in Astana, on Friday.
Five-time world champion Mary Kom, returning to the ring after recovering from some niggles that kept her out of the Asian Games, prevailed 5-0 against Kazakhstan's Aigerim Kassanayeva to pick up India's lone senior category gold at the event on Saturday.
Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom (51kg) and World Championship bronze-winner Shiva Thapa (56kg) were given the top billing in the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament draw held in Qian'an, China on Friday.
M C Mary Kom pulled no punches as she lambasted critics and challengers after securing her second Olympic appearance. Her reference was to the selection controversy that preceded the qualifiers when former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen sought Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju's intervention while demanding a trial bout against the Manipuri. The ill-tempered and hyped trial bout was won by Mary Kom.
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.
Amit Panghal (52kg) and Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) remained on course for their second successive international gold medals this year and India looked good to notch up its best ever performance in the Asian Boxing Championships.
All but written off after a string of injuries wrecked havoc on his career four years ago, enigmatic boxer Akhil Kumar staged a remarkable comeback to make the 10-member Indian men's team for the Asian Games, in Incheon, South Korea.
M C Mary Kom struck gold in the women's competition but India's men were denied a complete sweep by traditional powerhouses Cuba and Uzbekistan on an exciting final day of the India Open boxing tournament, in Delhi, on Thursday.
Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom remained on course for a fifth gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships after she advanced to the final of the event on Tuesday.
Celebrated boxer M C Mary Kom will aim for a historic sixth gold at the AIBA Women' World Championships, the build up of which has been marred by a row over lone Kosovan boxer's participation and poor quality air in the national capital.
Check out India's schedule on Day 7 of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, on Wednesday.
Seventeen shooters, prominent among who is Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, are among 45 athletes selected by the government for financial assistance under the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.
The Haryana-boxer, one of only four Indians with a world championships medal to his credit, launched very few attacks but managed to connect just enough straights to get the judges' nod.
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