PATIALA: After battling injuries, doubts and thoughts of quitting the sport for nearly two years, Sumit Kundu has finally found his way back to the top with a scintillating performance at the boxing selection trials here.Sumit, representing the Army, secured his place in the Indian boxing contingent in the men’s 70kg division for the upcoming CWG and Asian Games after defeating Deepak in the final on Friday. The win capped off an impressive campaign that also saw him edge World Cup gold medalist Hitesh Gulia in the semi-finals.However, the return was not easy. Sumit suffered a serious ACL and meniscus injury during the national championships at the time of the Paris Olympic qualifiers after twisting his knee badly in the ring. The injury kept him out of competition for nearly two years and eventually ruled him out of the Paris race.“It took me a long time to come back, almost two years. I am happy to have won the selection,” Sumit told TOI after his match. The boxer underwent surgery and rehabilitation in Mumbai for almost one and a half years, but the mental battle proved even more difficult.“I thought about quitting boxing. It looked like I wouldn’t be able to box again. After rehab, I didn’t feel the same energy in my knees. I felt my boxing career was over,” he said.Sumit revealed that he hid his surgery from his family while dealing with the emotional toll of recovery. The breakthrough came after conversations with his childhood coach Ved Prakash, other coaches and family members helped him regain confidence and emotional strength.Now competing in the 70kg category after moving up from 75kg, Sumit said the change suits him better. “When I started boxing, I competed at this weight. It was difficult to cut weight due to an earlier ligament injury. Now I’m finally happy to be back,” he added.Final CWG, Asiad squad:Women: Sakshi Chaudhary (51 kg), Preeti Pawar (54 kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57 kg, CWG only), Priya Ghanghas (60 kg), Parveen Hooda (65 kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (70 kg, CWG only), Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg).Men: Jadumani Singh (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Aditya Pratap Singh (65kg, CWG only), Sumit Kundu (70kg), Ankush (80kg), Kapil Pokhariya (90kg) and Narendra Berwal (+90kg).
