CHENNAI: Indian boxing is enjoying a purple patch at the moment. Teenagers Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei and Gunjan recently made history by becoming the first pugilists from the country to capture gold in the Youth Olympic Games. A noteworthy performance which highlighted their immense potential. It was no fluke.
Hours of training and hard work had led to that memorable feat in the Dakar edition of the Games, which concluded on Friday. One of the forces behind their success is coach Geeta Chanu. The coach, who has been in the business for ages, was naturally stoked with the outcome. "After a long time, following the 2010 outcome (silver and bronze), we got two gold medals. It's a great result," Geeta told The New Indian Express from Dakar, Senegal.
As per the coach, their commanding show was down to their dedication and hunger to learn in the last few months or so. The boxers, both 17, had undergone the pre-Olympic camp in NIS Patiala. It was a team effort with all the coaching staff members putting the boxers under the microscope on a session-to-session basis.
Having followed the Futures Cup in Bangkok earlier this year, which was qualification pathway for all the boxers, they had closely studied the pugilists from other countries as well. "We had continuous preparation. We did video-analysis. We figured out how we should deal with potential rivals. We also did skill training. All the team members were actively looking at what they lack and things that could be improved from start to finish."
Geeta, who's one of the first woman to don the coach's (boxing) hat in the country, said the coaching staff focussed on forging a solid base for the teenagers. "The basics are important. They are ready to throw punches but they have to make that a habit and in order to get that habit, it takes some time. We worked on attacking, making that second attack...in the junior level, those are the things that goes on (during camps) after hitting, how to defend, how to step out of range," the former international from Manipur noted.
"To hit with a good knuckle position is key. During the pre-YOG camp, her (Gunjan) knuckles were not landing properly. Sometimes after landing some punches, their guards would lower than necessary. So we had worked on those aspects during the camp. Both of them improved a great deal during the camp," Geeta, who has also been part of the senior coaching camp, said.
Both the gold medallists come from humble backgrounds. Gunjan (women's 48kg) comes from Dhana Kalan village near Hansi in Hisar while Ambekar (men's 50kg) hails from Lamlai, around 15 kilometres away from Imphal. It's their discipline that sets them apart from the rest, according to the coach. "Both of them are disciplined. You just give them instructions once and they'll do it. It's because of that they were able to win gold. Without discipline, nothing is possible."
Pep talks before competition also acted as a springboard. "The way they performed during the Futures Cup, they had won silver then. It was a good thing. Heading into the Games, we told them 'you guys are not what you were in the past. Earlier, you lacked speed, strength, and fitness. Now, you have gained all those things and we can go and put up a dominating show. If you stay mentally strong, you'll beat everyone and return with gold'."
The coach from Manipur is no stranger to dealing with talents having imparted lessons to many boxers over the years. She touched upon the uncertain nature of sport and the steep challenges down the road. Acknowledging that it's still early days for both, she's hopeful that the duo can maintain their discipline and evolve to become a force at the senior level.