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Wayne Lombard to join BFI as strength and conditioning coach
The South African has worked with the men’s and women’s hockey teams besides a host of elite athletes
New Delhi: The Boxing Federation of India (BFI), with a view to improve strength and recovery protocols of the elte teams, will soon have the services of renowned strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard. The South African, who has extensively worked with the senior men’s and women’s hockey teams, is set to join BFI in February next year although it is understood that he is already consulting with the federation and coaches.
The move is expected to be a shot in the arm particularly for men’s boxers who have struggled to perform at the big stage for a few years now. While the women’s team has had a successful run this year -- it won four medals at World Championships in Liverpool besides seven gold medals at the World Boxing Cup Final at home -- the men’s team is in a state of flux. With Paris Olympians and World Championships medallists Amit Panghal and Nishant Dev turning professional, the team is short on pedigree and experience. Boxers such as Jadumani Singh (50kg) and Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) have impressed but the lack of strength, coaches believe, is detrimental.
“Our boxers definitely lack strength as compared to Uzbeks and Kazakhs. Technically, we are at the same level but strength is where they outpunch us,” a senior coach had recently told HT.
Lombard’s appointment comes in a packed year for Indian boxers with Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games lined up. While the exact tenure of his appointment is not yet known -- “it will be a long-term contract” as per a senior BFI official -- he is expected to stay till the LA Olympics in 2028.
“Next year is crucial for us considering there will be Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. We’re bringing in Wayne Lombard who is a strength and conditioning expert and has done a great job with the Indian hockey team. We are preparing very thoroughly,” BFI president Ajay Singh said.
The men’s team is currently being coached by Dronacharya awardee Dharmendra Singh Yadav and plans are also afoot to get a foreign coach. The federation may soon get former high-performance coach Santiago Nieva on board for the women’s team.
“We are certainly exploring that option (of foreign coach for the men’s team). We’ve spoken to a few people already. Our job as a federation is to provide the very best, which means we will have top coaches, top nutritionists, top strength and conditioning staff,” Singh added.
