19 July,2021 07:37 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI
World No. 1 boxer Amit Panghal (left) will spearhead the Indian men’s campaign at the Tokyo Games
"It's like the big final exam after studying hard," said Indian boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, a touch nervous but mostly excited ahead of his own Olympic debut, aware that all the good work of past four years wouldn't count if there is no medal to show in Tokyo.
In an interview before the nine Olympic-qualified boxers left for Tokyo on Saturday, Nieva spoke about the many changes that have been brought in to the boxers' approach and technique for a successful Olympic outing.
"A little tense, not all the times but sometimes. Mostly I am excited because it is like the final exam after all the hard work," Nieva said when asked about his thoughts heading to Tokyo.
ALSO READ
'Aim is to win Oly gold to keep family legacy going and get married': Singh
Bajrang Punia said that joining this political party would lift his ban
Kenya’s former 800m medallist Bett dies at 26
We asked, Dipa answered!
"I will be 100 per cent fit for the new season": Chopra updates on his fitness
"This is my first Olympics, I was there in London 2012 as an expert on the sport, if that counts for anything," he added. The nine boxers and the support staff landed in the Japanese capital on Sunday morning and cleared the COVID-19 related health safety protocols to enter the Games village smoothly following expected procedural delays.
"Everything that we have done so far, all that we have worked on will not be appreciated if we don't get an Olympic medal. I am aware of that," Nieva said. The five Indian male boxers who will compete in Tokyo are World No. 1 Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Choudhary (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg). The women in fray are six-time world champ MC Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg).
Also Read: 1st ODI: Skipper Shikhar Dhawan shines in India's win over Sri Lanka
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
