E-Paper
Inspired by Sarita Devi, Bishwamitra cruises to maiden Nationals title
The 19-year-old, nephew of the three-time Worlds medallist, announced his arrival on the senior circuit with a flyweight gold
Bishwamitra Chongtham vividly recalls the day he put on boxing gloves for fun at a school meet in 2013. A friend shot a video of his bout that was seen by Sarita Devi — the three-time Worlds medallist — who also happens to be his relative.
Sarita, the 2006 world champion and multiple times Asian medallist, saw a spark in Bishwamitra and called him to train at her academy. The Manipur boy has since emerged as one of India’s most promising boxers in the flyweight category (51kg), cruising to his first senior national title here on Friday.
Also Read | Boxing Nationals: Organisers leave boxers in cold with no warm-up area
Bishwamitra, who has just turned 19, defeated Mizoram’s Zoram Muana by a unanimous 5-0 verdict to win the flyweight title. The diminutive boxer showed good skills and temperament in the five bouts he played this week. Blessed with quick hands, sharp reflexes, and nifty footwork, he threw clean punches from a distance. Muana was impressive in his counterattacking game but Bishwamitra was clearly a step ahead.
Bishwamitra has been waiting to stamp his class in the senior circuit. With the likes of Amit Panghal and Deepak Bhoria not competing here, the youngster announced his arrival loud and clear. The teenager has taken rapid strides since his junior days. Having won the junior national title in 2014, he went on to become a junior Asian champion before winning a bronze in the world junior championships in 2021.
“I love boxing and Sarita Devi is my inspiration. I wanted to take up the sport because of her. I was boxing in a school meet and she saw my video and told my dad to send me for training. Since that day in 2013, I have just followed the sport,” said Bishwamitra.
Sarita trained him for a year and then took him for trials at the Army Sports Institute in Pune. Today, Sarita takes pride in his progress.
“He loves boxing. You can never find him away from the ring. I kept telling his father to send him to train and when I saw him fight at a sports meet, I was convinced that he is talented. He has the spirit to fight and the will power to take on punches,” said Sarita from Imphal.
“He was among the second batch of trainees at my academy and at that time we did not have much resources here. I took him to trials at ASI and he cleared in the second attempt.”
Impressive pool in flyweight
The national title will only add to Bishwamitra's confidence as he prepares for bigger challenges, including a place in the India team. Qualifying for the Paris Olympics is his top priority. There are several contenders at home and he will have to go past the likes of former world No 1 and CWG gold medallist Panghal, and former national champion Bhoria. There is also Deepak Sahani, the 48kg national champion and Asian bronze medallist, who will look to switch to flyweight with the Paris Olympics in mind.
“Amit is still the best in flyweight but with fresh talents emerging it will be interesting,” says Services coach CA Kuttappa. “Bishwamitra is certainly one to watch out for. He has good speed and is technically good. He has to keep working hard though.”
Punjab make waves
It was exciting to see Punjab stamp their authority at the Nationals with nine medals, including one gold. Punjab boxer Kartik was a showstopper in the 86kg class. Having beaten Services' Kapil Pokharia in the opening round with a power-packed performance, Kartik cruised through his rounds and defeated Harsh Choudhary of Rajasthan in the final (5-0). He was adjudged best boxer in the competition.
Another boxer who impressed was Abhimanyu Loura who upset Tokyo Olympian Ashish Chaudhary in the quarter-finals. Loura won the 80kg final getting better of Sahil 4-1. CWG medallist Mohd Hussamuddin saw off Sachin Siwach (57kg) 4-1 to win gold while Shiva Thapa maintained his domination beating young Ankit Narwal 5-0 to win the national title. In the other three Olympic weight categories, Nishant Dev (71kg), Naveen Kumar (92kg), and Narender Berwal (+92kg) emerged champions.
