New Delhi: Five Olympics-bound Indian boxers are set to head to the Olympic Centre in Saarbrucken, Germany, for a month-long training camp starting June 28 as part of their final preparations for the Games.
However, 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (51kg) will continue his training at the Sports Authority of India’s Shilaroo centre with his coaches and support staff from the national camp. He will join the rest of the team in France.
Supported by REC Limited, a leading Maharatna Company under the Ministry of Power, the contingent includes world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg), 2023 World Championships bronze medallist Nishant Dev (71kg), Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg). They will train alongside national squads from Ireland, the USA, Mongolia, Germany, and Denmark, among others.
“The training camp in Saarbrucken will not just provide the Indian contingent an opportunity to spar with quality boxers from different countries; it will also help them acclimatize before the Games, as the weather conditions in Germany are similar to those they will encounter in Paris,” said Hemanta Kumar Kalita, Secretary General, Boxing Federation of India.
Six Indian pugilists, four women and two men, have qualified for the Paris Olympics. Five of them will train in Germany until July 22 before heading to the French capital for the Games.
India has a proud history of winning three bronze medals in the Olympic Games, with Vijender Singh opening the nation’s account in 2008 and the legendary Mary Kom adding to that list in 2012. Lovlina Borgohain aims to become only the third Indian and second woman from the country to win back-to-back Olympic medals.
