CHENNAI: Santiago Nieva is braced for a second innings in Indian boxing.
Armed with wealth of wisdom and belief, the Argentina-born tactician from Sweden is aiming for the sky. There's a genuine sense of excitement in his voice as he talked about his ambitions to shape the pugilists to Olympic level and help them to a medal at the 2028 LA Games. Officially announced as head coach of women's national boxing team by Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Friday, the 50-year-old, who previously served as India's high performance director from 2017 to 2021, is expected to join the team at the end of the year.
"It's a great opportunity. I always remember the good years I had in India. When they reached out, they showed interest. It means the support is there. They want me in the team," Nieva told The New Indian Express from Brisbane, where he is currently based as he was associated with Boxing Australia. He had served as national head coach and technical lead of Boxing Australia's high performance unit. With Nieva at the helm, Australian boxers had achieved many firsts at elite-level competitions including the Paris Games and the World Championships.
The Indian women's boxing team had one of the best seasons in recent times, winning medals across competitions including the World Championships. Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), who captured gold during the Liverpool World Championships and the recent World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, was at her peak. Meenakshi Hooda (48kg) had a similar script and was another star performer. Two-time world champ Nikhat Zareen also joined the winners' list during the World Boxing Cup Finals. The 2024 Paris Games was a hard pill to swallow but the women have largely eclipsed their male counterparts over the years and Nieva's white whale is to guide them to Olympic glory.
"Obviously, India has been doing great lately, especially in women's categories. The team has already had great results in Tokyo and the World Championships. It's exciting. We need to take that and transfer it to Olympic success because that's where we have been lacking. We need to try and go beyond the bronze medal. Whatever results we are able to pull off in the World Cups or World Championships, we need to be able to take that to the Olympic level and bring multiple medals and hopefully, all the way to gold. That's my main target. Obviously, there's no guarantee for success but with the hard work, smart work and team work, most importantly, I believe we'll get there in LA," he said.
Understandably, it was hard for Nieva to say his goodbyes to his wards Down Under. He's still in the process of doing that. Before his new chapter begins, Nieva wants to assess the environment before making key decisions on and off the ring.
"It's too early to tell (plans). I need to go there and find out how things are going on at the moment. It's not about trying to change everything. Those things that are working well, we should continue with that. Most people know me, my training methods. But we'll have to see. Sometimes you have to adapt to your environment. I need to go there, speak to the coaches, boxers and the federation officials and figure out the plans. Of course, I have my way of doing things which works very well. But there's not only one way to do things. I'll come there with an open mind," he said.
The next season is going to be critical for athletes across disciplines including the boxers as the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games are part of the calendar. With his open attitude and willingness to adapt, Nieva would be keen to lay a solid foundation ahead of the all-important LA Olympics.