The Olympic Games, which were originally slated to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020, have been rescheduled for July 23 to August 8, 2021, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. India will have the greatest number of 125 athletes competing in these Games, with 70 men and 55 women. India has competed in every Summer Olympic Games since 1920, despite making their official debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Games' opening ceremony will take place on July 23 at Tokyo's newly built National Stadium, while the closing ceremony will take place on August 8. The Boxing contingent has also travelled to Tokyo in a bid to bring medals for the country.
India is a frequent medalist at international games such as the Asian and Commonwealth Games, as well as the Olympics. Boxing is becoming increasingly popular in some areas, particularly Haryana. Vijender Singh earned a bronze medal in middleweight boxing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar advanced to the quarterfinals. At the 2008 World Championship, Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, A.L. Lakra, and Dinesh Kumar all earned bronze medals. Mary Kom of India is a six-time World Amateur Boxing champion and the only woman boxer to have medaled in all six world championships. Here is the whole schedule for India's Boxing delegation at the Tokyo Olympics. But first, let's take a look at the boxers that have qualified for the upcoming event.
Indian Boxing contingent Olympics 2020:
Vikas Krishan (Men's, 69kg)
Lovlina Borgohain (Women's, 69kg)
Ashish Kumar (Men's, 75kg)
Pooja Rani (Women's, 75kg)
Satish Kumar (Men's, 91kg)
Mary Kom (Women's, 51kg)
Amit Panghal (Men's, 52kg)
Manish Kaushik (Men's, 63kg)
Simranjit Kaur (Women's, 60kg)
Among all the boxers that have qualified for the event, Amit Panghal will most likely win a medal. Recent performances by the World No. 1 have been an outstanding indicator of his readiness for the Summer Games. Panghal qualified for his first Olympics by defeating Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in the 52kg quarterfinals in the Asian boxing Olympic qualifiers in Amman, Jordan. Panghal proved unstoppable throughout the Asian Boxing Championships, qualifying for the final. However, the 25-year-old had to settle for second place after losing in the finals to Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan. Panghal won the Asian Boxing Championship gold medal in 2019 after defeating South Korean pugilist Kim-in-Kyu.
On the other side, in women's boxing, MC Mary Kom and Lovlina Borgohain will be India's best medal contenders at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In her illustrious career, Mary Kom has won eight World Championship medals, including six gold, one silver, and one bronze. The veteran fighter, who earned a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012, will try to achieve her goal of winning Olympic gold. In the 69kg category, Lovlina Borgohain, the youngest member of India's women's boxing team, will compete. The 23-year-old made history by being the first Assamese athlete to qualify for the Olympics. Borgohain, who is currently rated third in the 69kg welterweight division, has already won two bronze medals at World Championships. Borgohain will be a strong contender for a medal in the women's welterweight division.
Tokyo Olympics India Boxing Full Schedule (all times in IST):
23rd July 2021:
Women’s Welterweight Round of 32 - Lovlina Borgohain, from 7:30 AM
Men’s Welterweight Round of 32 - Vikas Krishan, from 7:30 am
Men’s Super Heavyweight Round of 32 - Satish Kumar, from 1:30 PM
25th July 2021:
Women’s Flyweight Round of 32 - Mary Kom, from 7:30 AM
Women’s Middleweight Round of 32 - Pooja Rani, from 7:30 AM
Men’s Lightweight Round of 32 - Manish Kaushik, from 7:30 AM
26th July 2021:
Men’s Flyweight Round of 32 - Amit Panghal, from 7:30 AM
Men’s Middleweight Round of 32 - Ashish Kumar, from 7:30 AM
27th July 2021:
Women’s Lightweight Round of 32 - Simranjit Kaur, from 7:30 AM
28th July 2021 to 8th August:
All categories (Knockout Rounds) - Time and Date to be decided if boxers qualify
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