Determined to win a quota place for India in Bangkok World Olympic qualifier: boxer Nishant

Nishant Dev aims for Olympic quota after World Championships bronze, focusing on skills, stamina, and smart training.

World championships bronze medallist Nishant Dev said he was determined to win a quota place in the second World Olympic qualifier in Bangkok after narrowly missing out on one in the previous one in Busto Arsizio in March.

Nishant (71kg), the first Indian male boxer to secure a berth in the Paris Olympics, said his quarterfinal loss to American Omari Jones hurt him as India returned without a quota place from the first World Olympic qualifier.

“This time I was confident. I was determined nobody could beat me. From the first second of the first round till the last second of the last round, I kept on punching. Even though I won the first two rounds (of a bout) easily, the anger of losing to the American kept me going, I kept pushing in the third round,” said Nishant.

“The shortcomings I noticed in the first qualifier, such as my stamina dropping and my body language in the third round. I changed a few things. I have started putting in effort from the beginning.”

Nishant added he relied on his skills. “I am God-gifted. I have power, speed and timing. I have good power but if I use it mindlessly, then it becomes useless. I wanted to use less power and more skills. I showed my skills (in Bangkok) by hitting and going away. I landed body shots to tire out my opponents.”

According to Nishant, the extra time allotted to the boxers during training sessions these days was beneficial. “It helped a lot. Coaches guide you, but inside the ring, you have to apply your mind. We get 20 to 30 minutes after training. So, those who think they have to work on a specific area, they use it accordingly.”

Nishant, who went through two shoulder surgeries in 2010 and then in 2022 and is fully fit now, said he would begin with hard work before switching to smart work, taking care not to get dehydrated and lose energy unnecessarily, in the run-up to the Olympics.