Vikas, Samota to lead Indian challenge at Belgrade

 Earlier this month a 10-member team had been selected to compete in an international tournament in Armenia.

In order to provide boxers with adequate international exposure and an opportunity to excel at the global level, the Indian Boxing Federation had decided to field a team for this event.

This competition marks the beginning of the first phase of IABF’s preparation and groundwork for the London Olympics next year.

After the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, this would be the second International contest that Indian boxers would participate in, first being the tournament in Armenia.

Youth Olympic bronze medallist and Asian Games gold medallist Vikas Krishnan, gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games and bronze winner in Asian Games last year Paramjeet Samota, along with the experience of Olympian and Asian games silver medallist Dinesh Kumar will lead the Indian Challenge in Serbia.

The likes of Shiva Thapa, silver medallist at the 2010 Youth Olympics, and Manpreet Singh, who won the silver medal at the Asian games, have also made it to the squad.

The squad: Shiva Thapa (56 kg), Vikas Krishnan (60 kg), Manoj Kumar (64 kg), Mandeep Jangra (69 kg), Kuldeep Singh (75 kg), Dinesh Kumar (81 kg), Manpreet Singh (91 kg), Paramjeet Samota (91+ kg).