Greater Noida West residents elated ahead of Satish Kumar’s quarterfinal bout

Ahead of boxer Satish Kumar’s quarterfinal bout at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, residents of Greater Noida West are excited as they hope that the boxer will win a medal for India

Ahead of boxer Satish Kumar’s quarterfinal bout at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, residents of Greater Noida West are excited as they hope that the boxer will win a medal for India. Kumar, a resident of Greater Noida West, entered the quarterfinals of the men’s super heavyweight (+91kg) category at the Olympics on Thursday.

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Kumar, a native of Pachauta village in Bulandshahr, has been staying at Arihant Arden housing society in Greater Noida West’s Sector 1 for the past five years with his wife and two kids.

“We moved to Greater Noida West five years ago in order to give better schooling to our kids. Ever since my Thursday’s win, my family members in Bulandshahr as well as my wife in Greater Noida West have been receiving congratulatory messages,” 32-year-old Kumar told HT over phone from Tokyo.

Kumar is a 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, two times bronze medallist at the Asian Championship and an Arjuna awardee. On Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics, Kumar won 4-1 against Jamaica’s Ricardo Brown to enter the quarterfinals. The pugilist now faces Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov, the reigning Asian and world champion.

In April this year, Kumar was down with Covid-19. “I have been at the boxing camp in Patiala for the past five years and only visit home occasionally. In April, I got infected with Covid-19 and I had to miss the Asian Boxing Championship held in May in Bangkok. But I worked very hard for the Olympics as it has been my dream to win a medal for India,” he said.

Due to the Covid-19 protocols, the Arihant Arden apartment owners’ association (AOA) has not planned a screening of the Sunday’s match at their club to cheer Kumar.

“It is an extremely proud moment for us. We feel privileged to be from the same society where (Satish) Kumar stays. It is unfortunate that due to the pandemic, we cannot screen the match for all residents to watch together. However, we are planning a grand reception for Kumar whenever he comes back from Tokyo,” said Bharti Jaiswal, a member of the AOA.

Nishith Chaturvedi, another member of the AOA, said, “We are sure that Kumar will win an Olympic medal on Sunday. When he does, all residents of the society will come on their balconies to cheer him in spirit.”

Abhishek Kumar, president of Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA) echoed similar sentiments. “It is a proud moment for all residents of Greater Noida West to watch Kumar represent India at the Tokyo Olympics. We will plan a grand reception for him as well,” he said.

The boxer’s wife, Savita Yadav, is confident he will win the quarterfinals and get a medal. “We are eagerly waiting for Sunday’s match. All my friends in the residential society said that they will be cheering for my husband and will pray that he gets a medal,” she said.

Talking about Sunday’s match, Kumar, who has been with the Indian Army since 2008 as Subedar Major, said, “I will give my 100% to make India proud. Rest is up to the Almighty.”

When asked what is the first thing he will do after returning to India, he said, “I will go to Bulandshahr first to get my parents’ blessings and visit our family temple. Next, I will come to my Greater Noida West flat.”

Meanwhile, Aster Public School in Greater Noida West, where Kumar’s two children study in classes 1 and 2, has decided to forego their school fees for lifetime.

“We are elated to know that the father of two of our students is representing India at the Tokyo Olympics. To show our gratitude, we have decided to forego the children’s education fee for lifetime. Kumar is an extremely concerned father, and often comes to the school functions (before Covid-19 outbreak) to watch his children perform,” said Rachna Shukla, vice-principal of the school.