CHENNAI: The biggest bouts of their lives are near. A medal in Tokyo could help them attain legendary status. Just two Indians — Vijender Singh (2008) and MC Mary Kom (2012) — have successfully returned with medals in the history of the Olympics.
The Tokyo-bound pugilists (five men and four women including Mary) from India are at present looking to make the most of their last-minute preparations in Assisi, Italy, their training base for around a month. Due to leave for Tokyo on Saturday, the boxers are undergoing high-intensity training to be in their best shape before entering the Tokyo Games.
"We have had 10 sparring sessions in total. The boxers have been undergoing speed training like sprints, speed bags and sparring. High intensity training in less time," CA Kuttappa, India men's chief coach, told this daily.
Having landed in Italy in mid-June, Amit Panghal & Co have had the opportunity to have sparring sessions with pugilists from other countries like Colombia, France and Azerbaijan, to name a few. And Kuttappa is pleased with the momentum they've gained in those training sessions so far.
Take the case of Panghal (51kg), who is the country's biggest medal hope. The Haryana man, who is No 1 seed at the Games, has had the opportunity to learn about his potential rivals. "Amit has had tough sparring sessions with boxers from Colombia, France. Based on his performance, we can see what he can do better to improve. He has had tough sessions against Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia, who's the Rio Olympics silver medallist. So that should put him in good stead," Kuttappa said. Being the top seed, Panghal will avoid other top boxers but could face Martinez, who's unseeded, in the preliminary stages.
"The likes of Manish Kaushik, Satish Kumar have also had equally beneficial sessions against top rivals. When you spar with boxers from other countries, you're motivated. This tour has been highly beneficial," he said.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic last year, the boxers, like the rest of the athletes, had disruptions during training and competitions. Despite that, they have been an active bunch, having taken part in multiple competitions. Kuttappa is expecting his wards to embrace pressure for the next few weeks and put up a fighting display. "At this juncture, you can't tell much. They have to give their maximum as this is the Olympics. Pressure will always be there. The main thing is giving a fighting performance and not focussing on medals from the word go."
Apart from Kuttappa, the coaching and support staff that will travel to Tokyo includes men's high performance coach Santiago Nieva, women's high performance director Raffaele Bergamasco, women's chief coach Mohammed Ali Qamar, coach Chhote Lal, two physios and one doctor. As soon as they land in Tokyo, they'll have to abide by the Playbook — set of dos and don'ts for participants. Kuttappa has been constantly trying to remind them of the rules in place.
"We have told each and everyone clearly to be mindful," he said.