Maharjan is the only Nepali boxer to bag bronze medal in the King´s Cup held in Thailand annually, according to boxing coaches. [break]
“He achieved a historic victory in the King´s Cup in April this year,” said Ajit Gurung, silver medalist of the 11th South Asian Games.
Maharjan says Asiad is almost similar to the King´s Cup and is hopeful of creating history again provided that he doesn´t face China in the first bout.
“China is the strongest opponent. My success depends on whether I face China in the first round,” said the boxer who knocked out a Singaporean opponent during the King´s Cup.
Maharjan is a product of Nepal Youth Boxing Group who has been learning boxing under the guidance of coach Raj Shrestha.
Lama on the other hand is a promising female boxer of the Nepal Police Club. Her confidence has got a boost after returning from the 2010 AIBA Women´s World Championships held in Barbados from September 6-19. Although she lost against South Korean boxer, she was satisfied with the final score of 3-6 in the competitive match. It was the first time that any Nepali woman ever competed in the World Championships.
“We are training hard enough to win medals. The only setback would be tough draws. But we won´t let you down,” she said.
Other boxers who will get 24-days training in Ayodhya city of Thailand are Puran Rai (52 kg), Dinesh Shrestha (60 kg), Ratna Tamang (69 kg) and Sanju Lama (52 kg). Prachanda Sharma is the chief coach of the team while Kiran Karki is the assistant coach. Rajiv Shrestha will manage the team. The team will fly directly to Guangzhou to participate in the Asiad after the completion of the training.
Nepal Boxing Association (NBA)´s President Rabi Raj Thapa thanked the government for providing training at a time when the sports sector is facing financial crisis. Thapa also expressed gratitude towards Thailand for their support and for providing training at a nominal fee time and again.
Meanwhile, NBA member Deepak Gurung and Treasurer Ram Awale personally announced to provide cash prizes of Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000 for the boxers securing top three positions respectively.
Gurung also announced cash prize worth Rs 15,000 for players winning any bout in the Asiad. National Sports Council Treasurer Min Krishna Maharjan bade farewell to the team in the capital.
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