India's boxing ace L Sarita Devi stated that the performances of Indian
boxers in the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics could see the future of the sport to be
shining again in the country.
The former world champion said: "At this moment,
boxing can go either way, we can't say which way. It's at crossroads but the
destiny is in our hands. If we do well and put India on top at Olympics, the
future will definitely be shining again." "No doubt it's frustrating
for the young boxers that they don't have any tournaments. They're training
hard but clueless about their competitions. Hopefully things will be fine
soon," she further added.
She served a one-year ban for her infamous emotional
outburst after a controversial semifinal loss in the 2014 Asian Games. She made
her comeback in the competitive arena during a training-cum-competition trip to
China in 2015. She has won a gold medal in the recently concluded South Asian
Games. Talking about her win, she said: "It was my first major competition
after the ban and winning gave me a huge confidence ahead of the Olympic
qualification. It was great to win in front of the home crowd.”
Sarita underwent a surgery on her right wrist during
the one-year ban which she said is "perfect" now. "It's perfect
now and I don't feel any pain during my bouts at the South Asian Games. We have
been training hard and it's time to earn the Olympic berths. That's the main
focus.”
India has so far won two medals in boxing in Olympics –
Vijender Singh won the bronze medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics in ‘Men’s 75 kg’
category and MC Mary Kom won the bronze medal in 2012 London Olympics in
‘Women’s Flyweight’ category. The 2016 Rio Olympics is going to take place from
August 5 21 and will see more than 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries
participating.
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