World-beating boxers outpunched as six-member Indian team returns medalless

India’s Lovlina Borgohain (right) trades blows during her loss to Li Qian of China in the 75kg quarter-final in Paris recently. Pic/Getty Images

The Indian boxing contingent, that featured two reigning world champions in Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain, entered the Olympics hoping for an unprecedented medal haul, only to crumble under pressure, leaving behind a trail of disappointment in a medal-less campaign.

Boxing became a medal hope for India after Vijender Singh's historic bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. MC Mary Kom added a women's bronze to it in 2012.
Although the 2016 Rio Games saw the boxers return without a medal, Borgohain clinched a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics to revitalise the sport. Expectations were high from Paris and observers of the game felt at least one, if not two medals, could be expected from the six boxers who qualified.

Two-time world champion Zareen (50kg), Borgohain (75kg), and 2023 world championship bronze-medallist Nishant Dev (71kg) were all seen as strong podium contenders.

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Nikhat Zareen

But when it came to actual competition, the Indians never seemed to have the momentum needed to go deep into the tournament.

With the exception of Nishant, who was denied a podium finish after a contentious result in his quarter-final, the rest struggled with Borgohain and Zareen unable to overcome formidable opponents, and Amit Panghal (51kg) failing to match his previous form.

Borgohain, Panghal and Nishant needed just two wins to secure medals.

Although Borgohain and Zareen were handed challenging draws, with both encountering formidable opponents in their second rounds. However, given that they entered as reigning world champions, the two were expected to overcome such challenges or, at the very least, put up a resilient fight.

However, they succumbed rather meekly to their Chinese counterparts.

Among the men, Panghal looked a pale shadow of his sharp and aggressive self against Zambia's Patrick Chinyemba, who lost in the very next round.

A total of 17 national camps and 23 foreign exposure trips were conducted in the build-up to the Paris Olympics for nine core TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) boxers and 20 development pugilists. Sports Ministry spent Rs 60.93 crore on this.

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