Nine Indian boxers, including seasoned pugilists Shiva Thapa, Deepak Bhoria and Nishant Dev, will begin their quest for Paris 2024 Olympic berths at the 1st World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy, starting this Sunday.
The tournament offers 49 quota places, with a guaranteed ticket to Paris for any boxer reaching the semifinals. However, in the women's 60kg category, only three spots are available, necessitating a box-off between the losing semifinalists.
While some Indian boxers secured berths through continental events, the Italy qualifiers present a crucial opportunity for others. The competition is expected to be fierce, with world-class pugilists like Colombia's Yuberjen Martinez, Japan's Tomoya Tsuboi, Kazakhstan's Makhmud Sabyrkhan and Venezuela's Yoel Finol vying for spots.
India's medal hopes largely rest on the 2023 World Championship medallists - Bhoria, Hussamudin and Dev. Bhoria and Dev have established themselves as strong contenders, while Hussamudin returns to the ring after knee surgery, aiming to impress.
Experienced campaigners like six-time Asian Championship medallist Thapa and former Asian champion Sanjeet will also be in the spotlight. Super heavyweight boxer Narender Berwal, who narrowly missed an Asian Games quota, seeks redemption in Italy.
Among the women, Jaismine Lamboria faces a tough challenge in the 60kg category, needing to surpass the performance of Simranjit Kaur from the National Championships. Former youth world champion Ankushita Boro gets her chance over Arundhati Choudhary, who defeated her in the National finals.
Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, Preeti Pawar, Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain have already secured their Paris berths. This Italy event is not the final chance, however, with another qualifier scheduled for May-June in Thailand.
India aims to improve on its performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where they fielded nine boxers but only secured a bronze medal through Lovlina Borgohain. The full Indian squad for the Italy qualifiers includes:
Women: Jaismine Lamboria (60kg), Ankushita Boro (66kg)
Men: Deepak Bhoria (51kg), Mohammed Hussamudin (57kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Sanjeet (92kg), Narender Berwal (+92kg)
Follow us
