New Delhi. Before the failure at the Tokyo Olympics and the subsequent struggles, boxer Amit Panghal did not believe in destiny, but after overcoming many challenges and securing a ticket to the Paris Olympics, he will need a little ‘luck’ in addition to his incredible skill to win a medal. “After the Tokyo Olympics, I have started believing in luck,” Panghal told PTI on Wednesday. Panghal was once at the pinnacle of his sport with gold medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships and a historic silver medal at the World Championships. He was the only Indian male boxer to achieve such a feat.
He became the world’s top boxer in his weight category but his bad times started after he was knocked out of the pre-quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics. He lost his place in the national team based on the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) evaluation system. The criticism during this time badly affected his confidence and made him question his abilities. Panghal said, “Jo humare videshi coach tha kaun muh dekh toh nahi lag tha mera time aayega par kismat me hota hai toh sabko milta hai.”
His coach Anil Dhankar played an important role in motivating him during this challenging phase. Panghal said, ‘It did not feel good at that time because you want to play and you were not being allowed to play.’ Panghal, however, got a chance when Deepak Bhoria failed to secure a quota in 51 kg after two attempts. Panghal was selected for the final qualifying event and did not disappoint the country. This was his first and only chance to qualify for the Olympics and he did so with confidence. He would like to leave behind the disappointment of Tokyo in Paris. He said, “It feels good to get the quota. There was no pressure to go to the qualifiers. I was a little scared in the beginning because it was a big tournament.”
This boxer, posted as a Subedar in the Army, said, “I was also afraid that I might get a serious head injury. Whenever I go to play after a long time, I fear that this will happen, but this was the last chance to win the quota.” Due to participating in very limited international competitions in the last three years, Panghal had to work on many aspects. He came to know about his selection barely a month before the competition. He said, “I worked on everything. I worked on giving rest to the body. Rest between matches is very important. My stamina decreased due to staying away from competitions. I had to work a lot on this aspect during practice. He said, “I came to know less than a month before the tournament that I have been selected to play. I did not know whether I would be able to go or not, but I did not stop practicing.” Apart from Panghal, Nishant Dev (71 kg) has also secured an Olympic quota in the men’s category.
Disclaimer: CricketInFocus has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
