The two not only clinched Olympic berths but also gold medals at the Asian qualifying tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Shuttler Parupalli Kashyap and boxer L Devendro Singh came up with stellar displays on Day 4 of competitions in the Olympic Games but India drew a blank and failed to add any medal to the bronze won by rifle shooter Gagan Narang.
It was a promise made one year ago, after he struck gold at the Commonwealth Games but boxer Manoj Kumar, who is now also assured of a berth in next year's London Olympics, is still waiting to be promoted in Indian Railways.
Vikas Krishan (75kg) became the third Indian boxer to enter the quarter-finals of the World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Baku and be just one win away from booking a berth in the Rio Games this August.
On a mixed day for Indian boxers, five of the nine in action advanced to the finals of the Asian Youth Championships in Tehran, Iran.
Five-time World champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) pipped arch-rival Pinki Jangra to the India's women's squad, while World Championships bronze medallist Shiva Thapa (56kg) made the cut in a star-studded men's boxing team for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in China from March 23.
Livid at being ignored for elections to put together a new federation on Sunday, two of Indian boxing's biggest stakeholders -- Railways and Services Sports Control Board -- have lodged a protest with the Sports Ministry. Neither Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) nor the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) will be a part of the election process to constitute the Boxing Federation of India even though they have a vote each.
The 36-year-old Jhajharia, who is the first Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals, was the first choice of the awards selection committee.
Devendra Jhajharia, on Tuesday became the first para athlete to receive India's highest sporting honour -- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- along with hockey star Sardar Singh, who has endured trying times off the field in the last one year.
On a comeback trail after serving her one-year ban, Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi will be seen in competitive action from December 1 as part of a 13-strong Indian team of 10 men and 3 women for the training-cum-competition event in the Chinese city of Qian'an.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India on Wednesday has granted an NOC (no objection certificate) for the registration of the newly-formed boxing federation, in addition to depute an observer for the federation's elections.
An Olympic quota place pocketed, Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) ended his campaign with a silver medal after losing in the final of the Asian/Oceania Qualifying Tournament Qian'an, China on Friday. The 22-year-old Assamese, who is a World Championship bronze-medallist, went down 0-3 to Thailand's Chatchai Butdee in the summit clash. Butdee is the reigning Asian champion. Shiva had booked his ticket to Rio de Janeiro by making the finals yesterday after beating Kazakhstan's Kairat Yeraliyev. Meanwhile, it was a heartbreak once again for L Devendro Singh (49kg), who missed a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. The Commonwealth silver-medallist, who lost in the semifinals a day prior, went down in the box-off for the Olympic slot on Friday.
The 34-year-old, a five-time World champion and an Olympic bronze-medallist, struggled to connect clean punches against her taller rival and was even warned once for excessive bending.
Vikas Krishan regrets underestimating 19-year-old Youth Olympic champion Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan in the final at the Asian Boxing Championships in Thailand.
Former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (64kg) clinched a hard-fought victory but two other Indian boxers bowed out after losing in the first round at the AIBA World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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 bronze medal in his kitty, Indian boxer Shiva Thapa could not add the Olympic quota place to it despite a valiant effort in a hard-fought box-off of the World Championships in Doha on Wednesday.
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.
The tennis ace's exclusion was on expected lines as she is expecting her first child with cricketer husband Shoaib Malik.
Shiva, a World Championships bronze-medallist and a two-time medallist at the Asian meet, edged past Kyrgyzstan's Omurbek Malabekov in a split verdict to make the last-eight stage, where he will face Chinese Taipei's Chu-En Lai in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Bantamweight boxer Shiva Thapa put up an impressive show against Chinese Taipei's Li Lin Yen to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan on Friday.
World Championships bronze-medallist Shiva Thapa (56kg), on Thursday, became the first Indian boxer to make the cut for this year's Olympics by entering the Asian Qualifying Tournament's final but the celebrated M C Mary Kom (51kg) failed to book her Rio Games ticket after losing in the last-four stage, in Qian'an, China.
Vijender Singh (75kg) made a return to the Indian boxing team along with Thokchom Nanao Singh (49kg) as the selectors picked the team for the World Championships after a two-day trial in Patiala, on Wednesday.
Assured of an Olympic berth, Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (75kg) settled for a bronze medal in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) World Qualifying Tournament.
India's schedule for Thursday, the sixth day of competition at the Asian Games, in Incheon.
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.
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra took just over a minute to force his rival out of the contest with a bloodied face and book a pre-quarterfinal berth in the Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok.
Satish Kumar (+91kg) entered the semi-finals of the Asian Boxing Championships, joining L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Vikas Krishan (75kg) who had earlier assured themselves of medals and places in the October World Championships.
Bickering in the Indian boxing community may lead to a mass exodus of Olympic medal prospects to the professional circuit as they are 'starved' of exposure due to the absence of a national federation, South Asian Games Tournament Director (Boxing) Lenny D'Gama has said.
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.
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.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) stunned Olympic bronze-medallist and top seed Dorjnyambuug Otgondalai of Mongolia to enter the Asian Boxing Championships final, in Tashkent, on Friday.
Impressed by India's performance at the Doha International Tournament, Aussie boxers want exchange programme with India, claims coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu
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.
Led by Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh, Indian pugilists stole the limelight on the ninth day of the competitions with four of them storming into the finals of their respective weight categories at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, on Friday.
.jpg)
India's schedule on the ninth day of the competitions at the Asian Games in Incheon on Sunday.
London Olympics bronze-medallist MC Mary Kom led the charge as six Indian boxers stormed into the final with comprehensive wins to remain in hunt for all the 10 medals on offer at the 12th South Asian Games, in Shillong, on Sunday.
"Disappointed" with India for not holding elections to form a new boxing federation despite specific deadlines, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has set September 25 as the "final" cut-off for the country to have a new body.
Long-distance runner Kavita Raut's Olympic qualification was the icing on the cake on yet another impressive day for India at the 12th South Asian Games, in Guwahati, on Friday. Firmly entrenched atop the overall standings, India increased their medal tally to 248 -- including 146 gold, 79 silver and 23 bronze.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances