Shiva Thapa, the lone Indian boxer to have confirmed his place for the Rio Games so far, says he has “shut his mind” to the numerous problems surrounding the sport to focus entirely on the quadrennial
Shiva Thapa, the lone Indian boxer to have confirmed his place for the Rio Games so far, says he has “shut his mind” to the numerous problems surrounding the sport to focus entirely on the quadrennial event in August.
The 22-year-old last year became only the third Indian pugilist to claim a bronze medal at the World Championships. He carried on his good form with a silver and an Olympic quota berth at the recent Asia/Oceania Zone qualifiers in Qian’an, China.
The world no. 6 in the bantamweight category (56kg) made his debut at the 2012 London Games when he was all of 18.
Talking about his upcoming second Olympic appearance, Shiva said, “This time, it’s been mentally more challenging and certainly the toughest of my career. I had a point to prove, deep inside perhaps I was very angry and wanted to show what I could do.
“That’s why when I won the semi-final bout in China, which assured me of an Olympic spot, I let out a huge scream in the ring. It was a lot of pent up emotions which came out. I don’t need to say how tough it has been for us in India because of all that has happened in the last few years and it was such a relief to qualify and beat the circumstances.”
India has been without a national federation for almost a year now after Boxing India was terminated following a rebellion by state units, when the erstwhile Indian Amateur Boxing Federation was dissolved owing to manipulation in elections in 2012.
As a result, Indian boxers compete under the International Boxing Association flag and could even be barred by the world body from the Olympics if a national federation does not take shape by May 14. Asked if this threat plays on his mind, the former Asian champion said, “I don’t think about it and I am being honest here. That’s the best possible way to deal with it, I just shut my mind to all this. Everybody knows we boxers have gone through a lot and still managed to perform. So, it’s best not to think about it too much,” he said.
