India at Tokyo Olympics: Meet the Indian Boxing Contingent

This year India is sending its biggest contingent to the Tokyo Olympics and in the mix will be 9 boxers hoping to make their mark.

India sent a contingent of 8 at the 2012 London Olympics where Mary Kom won India its first medal in women’s boxing. However, in 2016, only 3 boxers made the cut and no medals were won. This year India is looking strong, as several veteran boxers, as well as many new boxers are going to be representing India at the Olympics, hoping to win a prestigious medal for the country.

Let us take a look at India’s boxing contingent, and their medal prospects.

The 9 Boxers who are a Part of the Indian Boxing Contingent

Vikas Krishan- Men’s 69kg category

The 28-year-old Vikas Krishan has become only the second Indian boxer to qualify for 3 Olympic Games. He secured his spot at the Tokyo Olympics by beating Japan’s Sewon Okazawa. He recently won a bronze at the 2021 Baku Asian Championships.

His first Beijing Olympic Games were not the greatest, as he got knocked out in the first round. But he came back stronger in Rio Olympics 2016 and made it all the way to the quarter-finals before eventually losing to the silver medalist. Returning to the Tokyo Olympics, he is hoping that this will be the Olympics that he will finish on the podium.

His biggest competition this year at the Tokyo Olympics will be world reigning champion Andrey Zamkovoy of ROC as well as Pat McCormack of England.

Lovlina Borgohain- Women’s 69kg category

Lovlina Borgohain She went in second-ranked in the Asian qualifiers, and secured her spot at the Tokyo Olympics by a victory over Uzbek boxer Maftunakhon Melieva in the quarter-final in Jordan. She is a bronze medallist in 2018 World Championships and 2019 World Championships. She recently won a bronze in the 2021 Asian Championships.

She received the Arjuna Award in 2020. Being her maiden Olympics, she is looking strong as she hopes to make her mark in the boxing world.

Ashish Kumar- Men’s 75kg category

The 24-year-old Ashish Kumar has had quite a journey to the Olympics. He struggled with the sport for some time and almost considered quitting, but a gold medal in the 2017 national championships allowed him to make a strong comeback. The youngster won a silver medal at the Asian Championships as well as the India Open in 2019.

He beat Maikhel Muskita at the Asian qualifying event in Jordan via unanimous decision and secured his spot at the Olympics. Making his debut at the Tokyo Olympics this year, he hopes to make his father proud, who has supported him unconditionally through out his journey.

Pooja Rani- Women’s 75kg category

Pooja Rani was just one bout at the Asian qualifiers to punch a ticket to the Olympics, and she was successful, winning her ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. She is looking to make a strong comeback because, in 2016, she failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics when she lost at the second round of the Women’s World Boxing Championships.

This year, with more experience as well as 2 gold medals in the Asian Championships in 2019 and 2021, she is ready to hopefully perform well at the Tokyo Olympics.

Satish Kumar- Men’s, 91kg category

Satish Kumar went into the Asian qualifiers 4th seeded.He beat Otgonbayer Daivii to become the first Indian boxer in the super heavyweight category to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

He won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He has also won a bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Championships in the heavyweight category. Going into the Tokyo Olympics, he is looking strong, and hopes to make a mark.

Mary Kom- Women’s, 51kg category

India’s Biggest hope for a medal in women’s boxing is 37 years old Mary Kom, who has qualified for her second Olympic Games. When women’s boxing was introduced as a sport in the 2012 Olympics, Mary Kom became the first Indian woman to win a boxing medal at the Olympics by bagging a bronze medal.

The 6-time world champion booked her ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, The world no 3 is hoping to win another medal for India, and she has great potential to end on the podium this year again.

Amit Panghal- Men’s, 52kg category

Amit Panghal is India’s biggest bet in men’s boxing, as he will be going into the Tokyo Olympics ranked first in the world. He has won several medals at International Competitions, including gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, silver at the 2019 World Championships, and gold at the 2019 Asian Championships in Bangkok.

With a Recent gold medal at the 2021 Asian Championships, Amit Panghal is looking strong as he will be one of the top seeded boxers at the Tokyo Olympics.

Manish Kaushik- Men’s, 63kg category

Manish Kaushik has been making headlines recently, as he won a gold medal at the 2021 BOXAM Boxing Championships. He is also the bronze medallist from the 2019 World Championships in his category.

Kaushik became the ninth and last Indian to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics at the Asian qualifiers. He is looking strong, but he will be facing tough competition from Keyshawn Davis and Soufiane Oumiha.

Simranjit Kaur- Women’s, 60kg category

Simranjit Kaur won the silver medal the the Asian qualifiers in Jordan, where she secured her spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

The 24 year old is a 2018 World Championship bronze medallist and a 2019 Asian silver medallist. She has also recently won a bronze at the 2021 Asian Championships held in Dubai and is looking to finish on the podium this year at the Olympics.

Also read: India at Tokyo Olympics 2020: Can India win its first-ever medal in Archery?

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