Nizamabad boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin, who was sidelined due to a knee injury last year, is back in the Indian team for the first Paris Olympics qualification in Busto Arsizio, Italy, from February 29 to March 12.
The 2022 Worlds bronze medalist underwent surgery and recently returned to the ring. Also making the cut are World Championships bronze medalists Deepak Bhoria and Nishant Dev.
Six-time Asian Championships medalist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) and 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze winner Jaismine Lamboria (60kg) are part of the nine-member Indian squad announced by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Monday. Deepak (51kg), chosen over 2019 World Championships silver medalist Amit Panghal based on BFI’s evaluation, and Nishant (71kg) are also included. Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), recovering from a knee injury last year, returns to the squad.
India’s women boxers have already secured four quotas for the Paris Olympics through Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) at the Asian Games.
Youth women’s world champion Ankushita Boro (66kg), reigning national champions Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Sanjeet Kumar (92kg), and Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist Narender Berwal (92kg) are also included. They will compete for Paris Games quotas in their respective categories.
The selection process was thorough, conducted by the high-performance unit based on various performance parameters. BFI Secretary General Hemanta Kalita stated, “Our aim is to maximize India’s participation at the Paris Olympic Games 2024, and to achieve that, we have undertaken a thorough and careful selection process for the first World Qualification Tournament.”
The Indian Squad: Women – Jaismine (60kg), Ankushta Boro (66kg). Men – Deepak Bhoria (51kg), Md Hussamuddin (57kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Sanjeet (92kg), Narender (92kg).
