CHENNAI: Commonwealth Games (CWG) gold medallists Nitu Ghanghas, Nikhat Zareen and Amit Panghal are three prominent names who won't be travelling for the upcoming ASBC Asian Championships, which is due to be held from October 30 to November 13 in Amman, Jordan.
The trio was not part of the national selection trials which were held in the last few days at SAI NSNIS, Patiala.
All three of them were in a league of their own during the Birmingham Games, which was held in August. It is a prudent move to give this upcoming test a miss as there are bigger challenges lined up next year. An injury in this event could prove to be damaging in the long run. Also, it's a huge opportunity for the rest of the boxers to step up ahead of the next Olympics.
In Amit's absence, Sparsh Kumar won the 51kg trials in the men's section to confirm his ticket for the continental meet. Monika (48kg) and Savita (50kg) will be competing instead of Nitu and Nikhat.
Lovlina Borgohain, Olympic bronze medallist, meanwhile, is among the big names who are set to feature in the Asian event. Lovlina, who competed in the 70kg category in the CWG, will be plying her trade in the 75kg category this time. Having had a quiet outing in the last two marquee events (CWG and World Championships), this will be a crucial outing for the Assam pugilist ahead of bigger challenges in the near future.
Jaismine Lamboria, a CWG bronze medallist, could only find her name on the reserve list. Simranjit Kaur, a former World Championships bronze medallist, is set to fight in the 60kg category instead.
Pooja Rani, a two-time gold medallist (2019, 2021) in the event, is also set to miss out. She's in the reserve list in the light heavyweight category (81kg). Saweety Boora, who last competed in the 75kg category during the World Championships in May, will be the lead pugilist in the 81kg category.
Experienced Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) will be one to keep a close eye on in the men's category. With five medals so far, the continental event has been a happy hunting ground for the 28-year-old from Guwahati and he'll be determined to add to the tally and inspire the rest of the team. The boxers are expected to leave by mid-October so that they can get some vital practice and get acclimatised to conditions in Amman.
Teams
Men: 48kg: Govid Sahani, 51kg: Sparsh Kumar, 54kg: Sachin; 57kg: Md Hussamuddin; 60kg: Etash Khan; 63.5kg: Amit Kumar; 71kg: Sachin; 75kg: Sumit; 80kg: Lakshya C; 86kg: Kapil P; 92kg: Naveen K; +92kg: Narender.
Women: 48kg: Monika; 50kg: Savita; 52kg: Minakshi; 54kg: Sakshi; 57kg: Preeti; 60kg: Simranjit Kaur; 63kg: Parveen; 66kg: Ankushita Boro; 70kg: Pooja; 75kg: Lovlina Borgohain; 81kg: Saweety Boora; +81kg: Alfiya Pathan.