Former World championship bronze medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) and former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manoj Kumar Kaltagdia (64kg) on Thursday recorded wins to reach the semifinals of the Olympic World qualification event in Baku, Azerbaijan, and book berths to the Rio Olympics.
Shiva Thapa (56kg) had earlier qualified for the Summer Games.
Manoj, who defeated Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov of Tajikistan 3-0 in the quarterfinals, deserved special mention as the underrated pugilist earned his second consecutive Olympic quota place despite lack of sponsorship.
Prior to leaving for the event, Manoj had promised his elder brother-cum-coach Rajesh that he would return with an Olympic quota place.
“I had to prove myself and I am happy that I did that,” an emotional Manoj told The Hindu from Baku.
“It was a very tough journey, but Rajesh was solidly behind me. I am a Maratha and never feared any consequences. Every time I entered the ring I just prayed to God without thinking about the result,” added 29-year-old Manoj, the only top boxer who was not included in the Sports Ministry-backed Target Olympic Podium (TOP) Scheme.
Vikas, who had lost in a controversial bout in the London Olympics, was also relieved after taming South Korean Lee Dongyun in the quarters and ensuring his second Olympics appearance on the trot.
Vikas, a former Asian Games gold medallist, was desperate to qualify for the Olympics and had made an effort to get through to the mega event by taking the professional route through the AIBA Pro Boxing.
“I am extremely delighted to have secured the Olympic quota. It has been a long journey with quite a few ups and downs. I was confident about my abilities and always believed that I had what it took to reach the Olympics and put up a strong performance on that stage,” said Vikas, who is backed by JSW.
Vikas, who had a very tough bout against Japanese Takahashi Makoto in the second round, said, “I wasn’t very well when I took on the Japanese, but after getting that win, I knew I could clinch the quota.”
National chief coach G.S. Sandhu said the qualification of these boxers would spur Indian boxing again.
“The boys put up really top class shows. We went through a tough period (due to the absence of a National federation), but this should boost the sport again,” he said.
L. Devendro Singh (49kg) is still in contention for a berth in the Olympics.
However, Sumit Sangwan (81kg) missed out on a spot after losing to top seed Russian Petr Khamukov 0-3 in the quarterfinals. Sangwan can go through only if the Russian goes on to win the gold.
