Players are cutting short their Dashain leave as they are going through busy sessions of training, and boxers are no exception though a Gold for Nepal in the Asiad has been a dream since the country´s participation in the first edition held in Delhi, India in 1951.[break] Nepal has participated in all editions other than the second held in Manila, Philippines in 1954.
Looking back on history, boxing was the first event to fetch a medal for Nepal in the Asiad. Only 35 years after their participation in the Asiad was Nepal able to bring home a medal and it was in boxing. In the Seoul Asiad 1986, Nepal won eight bronze medals--four each in boxing and taekwondo, and this has remained the greatest success for Nepal in the Asiad.
In 1990 at the Beijing Asiad, boxing was the only event to fetch a medal for Nepal. Chitra Bahadur Gurung won the bronze in a sop to sports lovers.
However, the scene has changed drastically with the passage of time as Nepal´s performance at the international level started deteriorating since then. None of the boxers has claimed a medal in the Asiad since 1990.
Nepali boxers want to change the story this time and they have been gearing up for the upcoming Asiad.
Six boxers including two females and four male --Anuradha Lama in 51 kg, Sanju Lama in 60 kg, Deepak Maharjan in 81 kg, Ratna Tamang in 69 kg, Dinesh Shrestha in 60 kg and Puran Rai in 52 kg -- who qualified for the event are undergoing close camp training. Prachanda Sharma is the chief coach and Kiran Karki the assistant coach.
Despite training twice a day--morning and evening -- neither players nor the coaches expect a gold. "It would be a great achievement for Nepali boxing if any of the player wins bronze," said chief coach Sharma. The players echo coach Sharma.
"If we win a medal it could either be silver or bronze," said Maharjan, the contender in the 81 kg category. Maharjan had claimed a bronze for Nepal in the King´s Cup Boxing Championship held earlier this year in Thailand.
Regarding the low expectations of Nepali boxing, players and coaches blame lack of tournaments and foreign training though they have been undergoing regular training from mid-May and special training since July 31.
"There are hardly two national events in boxing in a year and the champions of some weight categories do not get any opponents even in those tournaments as they fear getting beaten," said Sharma. "How can a player compete with international boxers without a single fight in a year?" he questioned.
Boxing´s achievements in Asiad
10th Asiad 1986, South Korea
1. Lt Dal Bahadur Ranamagar Bronze
2. Tul Bahadur Thapa Bronze
3. Sushil Pokharel Bronze
4. Manoj Bahadur Shrestha Bronze
11th Asiad 1990 China
1. Chitra Bahadur Gurung Bronze
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