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.
The Indian men's boxing team's final campaign at the 35th Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain was derailed by a positive COVID-19 case in the side, resulting in three withdrawals from the summit clashes.
Both the boxers stuck to a defensive approach but Rani was the more accurate of the two.
All of the sudden there is a boom of super moms in the media. Women with a penchant for different sporting fields. Where Indian men would have thought twice about venturing, these women are making a name for themselves as pioneers in their chosen fields.
Basking in the glory of a bronze medal at the London Olympics, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal says it was very tough for her to win the medal in a sport dominated by the Chinese.
'I didn't know exactly how to move from a world of gray back into a world of vibrant colour, but one day I figured out one simple thing I could do: I could stop hiding and re-engage with life.'
She might have had to settle for a bronze medal after losing in the Olympics semi-finals but woman boxer M C Mary Kom (51kg) has won accolades from her fellow Manipuris for her grit and determination.
At a time when Indian boxing is on an unprecedented high, a book captures the history and essence of the sport in the country, finds Sumit Bhattacharya.
Ace woman boxer M C Mary Kom apologised to the nation after returning with a bronze from the London Olympics, saying she did her best.
M C Mary Kom punched her way into the women's boxing semi-finals at the Olympic Games to ensure India of at least a bronze medal while Vikas Gowda joined a select group of the country's track and field athletes by entering the finals of men's discus throw on Monday.
It's the biggest victory of her career. She waited for a long time for this moment, working tirelessly for it. And when she finally made sure of an Olympic medal her joy knew no bounds.
Strong medal contender MC Mary Kom opened her campaign on an impressive note as she punched her way into the quarter-finals but the men's hockey team continued its freefall after being thrashed 4-1 by South Korea at the London Olympics in London on Sunday.
A cash bonanza awaits Indian boxers if they notch up medals at the London Olympics.
Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat raised questions about the manner in which Padma awards are given to sportspersons, terming the process as an 'unfair one' after facing the snub for the third time. The current World Championship bronze medallist and one of India's biggest medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics, Vinesh hit out at the government accusing them of leaving out 'deserving' candidates.
Impressed with the hockey team's showing at the recently-concluded Asian Games, Sports Minister Sarbanada Sonowal said the gold medal triumph could act as a "trigger" for more good things to come.
A source close to the team said the top members of the coaching staff are among those who have tested positive.
Kavita Chahal (+81kg) emerged the lone Indian woman boxer to clinch a medal at the World Championships after settling for a bronze in the semi-finals against Kazakhstan's Yuldus Mamatkulova in Qinhuangdao, China, on Friday. The Indian went down 9-15 and bowed out of the event, but was the only one from the 10-member team to fetch a medal.
An important factor in India's stupendous success in 2021 was the way the government opened its coffers to support athletes.
World Championship bronze medalist Vikas Krishan stormed into the men's 69kg category final while five-time world champion woman boxer MC Mary Kom made a shock quarter-final exit in the Olympic boxing test event in London on Sunday.
Here's a look at the Top 10 tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
Tennis star Sania Mirza on Friday announced that a biopic on her will be made by Bollywood film-maker Ronnie Screwvala.
With Simranjit (60kg), Sakshi (54kg), and Jaismine (57kg) progressing into the last-4 stage, the women's team has confirmed India a medal in each weight category.
Having modelled the aggressive style of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson to claim an Olympic berth, Indian boxer Devendro Singh knows curbing those attacking instincts is the only way to achieve his dream of a medal at the London Games.
Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal and boxing hero Vijender Singh are among six sportspersons who were named brand ambassadors on Tuesday for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
The Jhalak Dhikhhla Jaa host turned 34 recently.
Abhinav Bindra resigned from the twin posts of National Observer for shooting and chairman of the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Committee to avoid any potential conflict of interest as he is also involved in private projects.
Swaraj was admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) following a deterioration in her health. She passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest.
SAI said the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have continuity in their training.
M C Mary Mom, who won a bronze medal at the London Olympics, has urged those sportspersons, who could not make a finish at the 2012 Games, to keep striving hard to win a medal at the Rio Games.
After a splendid season, where he scored first-ever double century in One-day and climbing the 14000-runs peak, Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday night was named the Indian cricketer of the Year. Our Correspondent Harish Kotian reveals the other winners at the Sahara India Sports Awards.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
Indian pugilist Sonia Lather was assured of a medal in the 57kgs at the AIBA World Women's Boxing Championship, only the colour had to be decided on Friday in a thrilling final in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The Indian athletes seemed unruffled by the syringe controversy that has cast a shadow on their Commonwealth Games build-up as they enthusiastically took part in the flag-hoisting ceremony at the athletes village, on Monday.
The actress-singer will start shooting for her first Hollywood film from next week.
'Vijender Singh is the talent that India has in professional boxing and I would want to fight him in India soon.'
Also ending with a bronze was tournament debutant and national champion Varinder Singh (60kg) after a high-intensity clash against Iran's Daniyal Shahbakhsh. The Indian lost 2-3 after fighting his heart out.
For the first time ever, three top sportspersons -- boxers M C Mary Kom and Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar -- were on Wednesday selected for the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
The Haryana-boxer went down 1-4 to the second-seeded local favourite in the first final of the day.
From the boxing ring to the shooting range to the athletics arena, it was India shining on the penultimate day of the 21st Commonwealth Games where the country claimed its biggest single-day haul of the ongoing edition, ensnaring eight gold medals across five disciplines.
Indian boxing's national observer Akhil Kumar sees nothing wrong in leaving out national chief coaches from the Commonwealth Games contingent but what irks him is the higher pay and greater importance given to the foreigners in the support staff.
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