Nikhat Zareen. (PTI photo) Indian women’s boxing is going through an interesting wave — the rise of fearless young contenders with relegation fears in the form of seasoned stars Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain. As the countdown to major events like the CWG and Asian Games gathers pace, head coach Santiago Nieva reflects on the team’s mixed performances at the Asian Championships while expressing optimism about the depth of talent and long-term goals, including the 2028 Olympics. Excerpts from the interview…How do you rate India’s overall performance in the recent Asian boxing match?India’s overall performance was arguably the best since the men’s and women’s events were combined in 2019. The team secured a total of 16 medals, including a record number of golds, especially in the Olympic weight divisions. Above the numbers, the quality of the performances and the caliber of the opponents that our boxers have overcome stand out.
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Jay Shah’s 2036 Olympics plan for India: ‘8 medals won’t cut it’ What were the positives and key areas of concern?The consistency between what we observed in training and how our boxers performed was a big positive. They repeated this level against strong opposition.This shows that we compete and win at the absolute highest level. Another encouraging aspect was the composure in close matches where our boxers managed to remain calm under pressure and still secure results. At the same time, there are areas that we need to improve.We are always aiming higher – not everyone has won gold and not every boxer has performed at their peak. With the Olympics, every nation will raise its level, so it is crucial that we move faster and stay ahead of the competition.
Santiago Nieva
Young talent Priya Ganghas winning gold in the Olympic category (60 kg) is a big boost…On paper, Priya might not have been the favorite to win, but her performances in the ring proved otherwise. We were already aware of her potential from what she showed in India as well as during her exposure in Spain. What was impressive above all was how she coped and defeated seasoned, quality opponents.How do you analyze the early departures of Nikhat and Lovlina?I would say that Nikhat has pretty much delivered what one would expect from a neutral point of view. We remain confident that she has the skills and qualities to turn the tables in a future encounter with Wu Yu (reigning Chinese Olympic champion). Lovlina’s proved to be a difficult match against a strong opponent (Aziza Zokirova’s Uzbekistan), where several technical errors entered the game areas that we will need to work on.How would both boxers fit into your long-term plans?Both Nikhat and Lovlina are clearly priority athletes and strong contenders for medals in any competition they enter. However, one key difference lies in their current competitive environment in the domestic market. Nikhat is part of a very strong weight class in India, where he faces stiff domestic competition and will have to consistently outperform other top boxers to secure a place at the big events.Nikhat will have to go through a highly competitive evaluation process, especially considering the selection of events like CWG and Asian Games. Lovlina was excellent in her weight category on the domestic market. While this can always change, at the moment it allows her to focus more on preparing for the international competition.With the CWG and Asian Games coming up, what are the immediate priorities for the team?We currently have two groups in the team — those who have already secured their spots for the CWG and those who will undergo the next round of evaluation scheduled for mid-May. In addition, the plan is to have at least one international preparatory competition before the CWG.
