CHENNAI: Christmas is going to be a critical period for Indian boxers in quest for berths in the Olympic Qualifiers to be held in China early next year. Former world youth champion Sachin Siwach is one among them, eyeing a spot in the 57 kg category in the men’s section.
Having moved to the aforementioned category just a few months back, the Railways boxer from Haryana is hoping that the change pays off. “After the Worlds, I went away from the camp and trained at home. I was working on strength-building, according to the demands of the higher weight category,” the 20-year-old said.
The World Championship was too far for him, as Amit Panghal had entered the competition as India’s No 1. Sachin could only find his name as a reserve in the 52 kg category. After Amit went on to win a historic silver medal, Sachin knew he stood no chance if he didn’t switch weights. That’s when he had talks with his personal coach and Railways coach and decided to move up the weight category.
The weight category Sachin has moved on to is tough too, with boxers like Asian Championships silver medallist Kavinder Singh Bisht and Commonwealth Games medallists Gaurav Solanki and Mohammad Hussamuddin in fray. But the youngster, who recently won gold in South Asian Games, is not daunted by the big names and is confident of a good show in the trials (Dec 29, 30) in New Delhi.
“Having seen them from close quarters, I know their strengths and weaknesses. I know they are proven talents but I will leave no stone unturned to give them a good fight,” Sachin, who is supported by Lakshya Sports, noted.
Sachin has traded blows with Hussamuddin recently. Fighting in his first nationals in the 57 kg category, he had reached the final, only to finish as second-best after going down to Hussamuddin. Prior to that, he had beaten former World Championships bronze medallist Gaurav Bidhuri in the inter-railways meet. “I have improved a great deal and those performances have given me plenty of confidence ahead of the trials,” he remarked.
Having been deemed underweight for boxing at a tender age of 10 by his coach, Sachin has defied odds to come this far. The son of a farmer in Miththal village near Bhiwani, he has seen his family toil to make ends meet. He knows he has a long way to go.
His willingness to go the extra mile has caught the attention of national chief coach CA Kuttappa. “He works hard and does extra training sometimes. His hunger to learn is big, which is a good thing to see. I have asked him to work on his punches. He has to execute more punches, especially at the international level.”