Thapa stays grounded

 Shiva Thapa, at 18, was the youngest boxer to participate in Olympic Games in 2012. It provided the youngster valuable exposure on the big stage.

In four years, Thapa has seen the worst phase of Indian boxing but that has only punched more grit into him. As the 22-year-old gets ready to enter the ring in Rio, he believes he has matured enough not to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the occasion.

Thapa, who hails from Guwahati, was the first Indian boxer to qualify for the Rio Olympics by entering final of the Asia/Oceania Zone Qualifying Tournament final in Qian'an, China earlier this year. The World Championships bronze-medallist admitted the road to Rio has been the “toughest journey of his career” in the backdrop of no federation and stringent qualifying norms.

“When I went for my first Olympics, everyone around me kept telling me that you are the youngest Olympian and you will win. When I lost, I was dejected but at the same time I had decided that anyhow I will make it big at the Rio Olympics. I have been very focused ever since. I feel today I am a tougher and better boxer since London Games,” Thapa, who fights in 56 kg weight category, told Deccan Herald.

“The Irish training camp was very useful, playing alongside boxers from other countries helps. It would be a lie to say that I am not nervous but after fighting against various boxers in two World Championships, two Asian Championships, one Olympics, one Asian Games and one Commonwealth Games, there is a lot more self-belief when on big stages.”

The last few years have been rather tough on the Indian boxers. Thapa admitted that participation in limited competition has hurt their preparations. “Having a federation would have been a big support. Not getting more tournaments and exposure trips have been a hurdle to training. You need to go to different countries and train and compete with different boxers. Today, scoring and judging in boxing have become subjective. But we got limited opportunity to participate under new rules. It’s important that athletes get facilities and support throughout rather than just before the Olympics or any big tournament,” said Thapa who is part of Tata Salt’s ‘Namak ke Waastey’ campaign aimed at generating mass support for Olympians.

A counter-puncher, Thapa has focused on packing aggression in his game. “I don't fight recklessly, which is also seen as a weakness. But I'm working on adding more aggression. The focus is on building more endurance and strength.”

The Olympics brings with it enormous pressure but Thapa has learnt to view it as a motivation. “A player requires pressure when he fights for a medal so I look at pressure as motivation. In the last four years I have learnt a lot. I am looking forward to the Rio Games and I am pretty sure that we will bring more medals than in the last Olympics. Now with AIBA allowing us to fight under the Indian flag in Rio, I am feeling even better."