Countdown to Tokyo Olympics: Know your Olympian – Amit Panghal


Countdown to Tokyo Olympics: Know your Olympian – Amit Panghal

Amit Panghal

NameAmit Panghal
Date of Birth16 October 1995
Birth PlaceRohtak, Haryana
Sport/Event(s)Boxing (52kg)
World ranking1st (As of September, 2020)
Major achievements2018 Asian Games Gold medal
2018 Commonwealth Games Silver medal
2019 World Championships Silver medal
Asian Championship Gold medal (2019) and Silver medal (2018, 2021)

Following the likes of Akhil Kumar, Vijender Singh, Vikas Krishan and others, young boxer Amit Panghal has emerged as India’s biggest star in the ring. The young lad from Rohtak has come a long way from borrowing gloves to practice to being hailed as one of India’s brightest prospect at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Amit broke into the international scene with a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He then went on to better it later that year as he returned with a god medal from the 2018 Asian Games at Jakarta. The very next year Amit engraved his name in the history of Indian boxing as he became the first Indian to win a medal at the World Championship as he had to settle for silver at the 2019 Championship.

Amit Panghal qualifies for Tokyo Olympics, seals maiden Olympic berth

Amit Panghal set to appear at Asian Boxing Championships
Amit Panghal

Amit Panghal lost to Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov in the 52kg final in Russia. While the 23-year-old lost that bout by a unanimous 5-0 decision, it was a much closer affair than the scoreline suggested. The defeat couldn’t dent Amit’s determination as he set his eyes on Tokyo Olympics qualification.

At the Asia-Oceania tournament in Wuhan, Panghal outboxed Carlo Paalam of Phillipines on split decision to win the quarter final bout and seal his maiden Olympic berth. It was the Indian’s thrid straight split decision victory against Paalam. Although Amit was not at at his best during the bout but his trademark counter-attacking game fetched him the desired result.

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Amit hasn’t looked back ever since as he continues to grow on his way to his maiden Olympic appearance in Tokyo. He returned with a gold medal at the Boxing Wortld Cup last year. Amit finished his Asian Boxing Championship campaign with a silver last night as he fell short in a split decision defeat to World and Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan.

Also Read: Know your Olympian – Neeraj Chopra

“Our training, when it comes to technique, is on the right path,” Amit Panghal

Amit Panghal
Amit Panghal

Amit shares that with the introduction of international coaches in the setup, the Indian boxers have grown exponentially. The Haryana lad feels that the Indian’s are now training the way their foreign counterparts train and that has helped them bridge the gap with their technique. Panghal is confident that the Indian team is prepared for the Tokyo Olympics.

Indian sportsmen are very hard working. The only area which we lagged behind was in the technique. However, the hiring of foreign coaches and the coordination with Indian coaches has been superb. Thus, the schedule and the training regime that they put in place is the same what foreign boxers undergo.

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We are doing the same what foreign boxers are doing and it is showing in our performances. We have managed to change the colour of our medal to gold on a consistent basis. We have also won more medals. Our training, when it comes to technique, is on the right path,” Amit told DNA.

Amit Panghal shares how he tackled the dual problems of height and different weight category for success. “In 49 kg category, I was the shortest. In the 52 kg category, the height of the boxers are even more. I was preparing for this. It is a big thing to go out of our established weight category and enter into a different level where we have no idea. We do not know how the boxers of a different category are.

We do not look at boxers from other categories. We have no idea how the boxer trains in his weight category and how he fights. To start fighting in a different category is very difficult. However, as I started, video analysis and discussions with my coach revealed that a higher weight category boxer will have greater power and height. I modified my training accordingly,” Amit signed off.

Also Read: Countdown to Tokyo Olympics: Know your Olympian – Bajrang Punia

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