A look at Nishant Dev’s qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

Nishant Dev will make his Olympic debut at Paris Olympics 2024.

Nishant Dev is one of the two male boxers who will be representing India at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. The boxer from Haryana will vie for a podium finish at the Summer Games 2024 in men’s 71kg category.

Dev tried his hands at boxing at the age of 12, after getting inspired by his uncle who was a professional boxer.

His father was very supportive as he used to wake Nishant at 4:00 am in the morning, accompany him to his training, and followed a similar routine in the evening to ensure that Nishant received proper guidance. He is still trained by his childhood coach Surendra Chauhan.

Nishant Dev will now be making his maiden Olympic appearance in Paris Olympics 2024 after qualifying for the Quadrennial event with an impressive outing at the second World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament.

With his qualification, he became the first male and fourth overall boxer to secure a berth in the Paris Olympics 2024, after Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 75kg) achieved it during the Asian Games 2023.

How did Nishant Dev qualify for Paris Olympics 2024?

Nishant Dev booked his place in the Paris Olympics 2024 after winning his quarter-final (quota) bout in the men’s 71kg by defeating Vasile Cebotari of Moldova in a unanimous decision (5-0).

Earlier, in the tournament, he had secured wins against Guinea-Bissau’s Armando Bighafa by 5-0 in Round of 64, Mongolia’s Otgonbaataryn Erdene by RSC in Round of 32, and Thailand’s Peerapat Yeasungnoen by 5-0 in the pre-quarters.

With this, Dev showed a dominating display of boxing in the second World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Bangkok, Thailand, to confirm a well-deserved place in the men’s 71kg at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Nishant Dev’s Journey to Paris Olympics 2024

Nishant Dev’s journey to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024 began with his participation in the Asian Games 2023. 

The continental event served as the first qualification tournament for the Indian boxers – both male and female. However, the process for qualification for the male boxers was more challenging than the female boxers as only the gold and silver medalists could earn the quota for their nation in the men’s event.

Also Read: Road to Paris: Indian boxers Jaismine Lamboria, Preeti Pawar training for endurance to cope with pressure

In contrast, all four semifinalists in the women’s category earned Olympic quotas, except for two weight classes.

At the Asian Games 2023, Nishant Dev kicked off his campaign with a unanimous decision victory over Nepal’s Dipesh Lama in the Round of 32. He went on to win by KO against Bui Phuoc Tung in the Round of 16. However, his qualification journey was halted by Sewon Okazawa of Japan, to whom he lost 0-5.

He then featured in the first World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in March, taking place in Italy’s Busto Arsizio. There, he kicked off his campaign in the Round of 64 with a 3-1 victory over Great Britain’s Lewis Richardson.

He then achieved dominant unanimous verdict wins against Eskerkhan Madiev of Georgia in the Round of 32 and Greece’s Christos Karaitis in the Round of 16.

He was just one win away from securing a boxing quota for India at the first World Olympic Boxing qualifiers. However, Omari Jones from USA denied Dev the opportunity to qualify for the Paris Olympics in the first qualifiers as the 23-year-old lost to him in the quarterfinals by 1-4. 

Nevertheless, at the second World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament, Nishant Dev was able to turn his fortunes by becoming one of the six pugilists for India to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Major Highlights of Nishant Dev’s career

• Bronze medalist at featherweight category in the IBA World Boxing Championships 2023.
• Represented India at the Asian Games 2023.
• Quarter-finalist at the AIBA World Boxing Championships 2021 in light middleweight category.
• Won the gold medal at the National Championships 2021 and 2023.

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