India at Asian Games 2023: Not bad, but not great from Indian boxers at Hangzhou

A total of four Indian boxers secured quota for Paris Olympics 2024.

The Asian Games of 2023 will resonate within India's sporting history as one of the most triumphant sporting occasions, where Indian athletes achieved remarkable accolades for the nation. From the onset until the 14th day in Hangzhou, China, a total of 107 medals were achieved across various sports disciplines. Among these accolades, there were 28 gold medals, 38 silver medals and 41 bronze medals.

With an impressive performance, the athletics unit secured the highest number of medals, amounting to 29 in total. Following closely behind, the shooting contingent emerged victorious with an impressive tally of 22 medals. Indian boxers achieved a noteworthy feat at the Asian Games 2023, securing a total of five medals. Among the medals obtained, one was a silver medal, while the remaining four were bronze medals.

In this article we will review the performances of Indian boxers at the Asian Games 2023:

Factsheet

List of participants

A contingent of 13 Indian boxers, led by world champions Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain, had the honor of representing the nation at Asian Games 2023.

Women’s: Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg), Jaismine Lamboria (60kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (66kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg)

Men’s: Deepak Bhoria (51kg), Sachin Siwach (57kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Sanjeet (92kg), Narender Berwal (+92kg)

Key Highlights

Regardless of the medals achieved by the Indian boxers, the main highlight of the events was the qualification for the Paris Olympics 2024. In the men's events, the boxers who won the gold and silver medals in each of the seven weight divisions earned a spot in the Paris Olympics 2024.

In the women's divisions, a total of four qualification spots were allocated for each weight category, excluding the 66kg and 75kg categories, which had two spots each. Only a single boxer from each country had the opportunity to earn a Paris Olympics 2024 qualification spot in each weight category.

All the women medalists, Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar in women’s (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) were selected for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Top Three Performers

Lovlina Borgohain

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist was the sole representative in the women’s division to make it to the final of the event. However, she faced defeat in her bout against China’s Li Qian, and settled for a silver medal. It is worth noting that she is the only silver medalist in the boxing division at the Asian Games 2023, as all other medals were earned with a third place finish.

Nikhat Zareen

It was apparent prior to the commencement of the 2023 Asian Games that Nikhat Zareen, a two-time gold medalist at the World Championships, would undoubtedly return with a medal to her credit. The Indian boxer participated in the women's 51 kg category and concluded her campaign with a well-deserved bronze medal.

Nikhat showcased a remarkable performance during the Round of 32 and 16, as she convincingly triumphed over her adversaries with a flawless score of 5-0 in both rounds. Additionally, she demonstrated her superiority in the quarterfinals, prevailing over Hanan Nassar of Jordan.

However, she narrowly missed securing another victory in the semifinals against Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat, which prevented her from advancing to the final round.  

Narender Berwal

Narender Berwal emerged as the standout boxer in the men's division, securing the only medal around his neck. He showcased his skills in the Men's 92kg event.

Despite putting up an impressive performance in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, defeating Kyrgyzstan's Oomatbek Elchoro Uulu and Iran's Ramezanpour Delavar respectively, he unfortunately suffered a defeat in the semi-final match against Kazakhstan's Kamshybek Kunkabayev.

Underperformers

Deepak Bhoria

Deepak Bhoria was included in the Asian Games 2023 contingent after emerging victorious in the selection trials, where he defeated the 2018 Asian Games gold medalist, Amit Panghal. Given the responsibility of defending his compatriot's gold medal, Deepak faced high expectations.

The 25-year-old also achieved success in the form of a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships, after defeating Saken Bibossinov from Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, Deepak couldn’t even manage to progress beyond the round of 16 for the quarterfinals.

Nishant Dev

Nishant Dev astounded spectators with his remarkable boxing prowess, emerging as one of India's strongest contenders for a medal at the forthcoming Asian Games in 2023. Furthermore, he clinched a well-deserved bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships. Despite his young age of 22 and a previous injury, Nishant exhibited tremendous resilience and caused quite a stir by triumphing over a Cuban boxer in the World Championships, a feat no Indian had ever achieved before.

Regrettably, in the quarterfinals at the quadrennial extravaganza, Nishant faced defeat at the hands of Japan's Sewon Okazawa and returned home without any honors to his name.

Jaismine Lamboria

In the women's division, Jaismine Lamboria, whose great grandfather Hawa Singh is a two-time Asian Games gold medalist boxer, was anticipated to secure a medal for the country. She commenced her campaign on a positive note by triumphing over Saudi Arabia's Hadeel Ghazwan Ashour. Regrettably, she faced defeat in the quarter-final against South Korea's Ungyong Won that shattered the 22 year old’s dream.

What's next for Indian athletes in boxing?

After the conclusion of the Asian Games 2023, the boxers will focus on their preparation for the forthcoming Asian Boxing Championships and World Boxing Championships, scheduled to be held next year. These events will serve as important training opportunities for the boxers before the start of the Paris Olympics 2024.