<p>Inside a jam-packed room - big enough to place a 20x20 feet boxing ring kissing the side walls at one corner and another similar space filled with participants, coaches, parents, referees and announcers - it was a chess player who maneuvered his way to claim the boxing gold in the 58-61 kg category in the Karnataka Mini Olympics at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Tuesday. </p>.<p>“Chess, according to me, is the mother of all sports,” said Aryan Surya SA who has won several medals for India by winning games on an 8x8 checkered board in the under-8 to 13 age group. “Because once you learn how to apply your mind, one can play any sport. Boxing isn’t just about bashing your opponent. A good boxer needs to use his/her brain to win a fight,” said the 13-year-old from Bengaluru.</p>.<p>The eighth grader from Jain Heritage School, whose love for sports began with karate as a toddler, took a roundabout way, via chess, to get to the boxing gloves.</p>.<p>“We had a punching bag at home. I was always intrigued by it and used to randomly punch and replicate some boxing moves. My dad’s friend who happened to observe this suggested I enroll into a boxing club. That’s how it all began,” he explained. </p>.<p>Aryan, who trains at the Chandrashekar Azad boxing club in HMT Layout, defeated Rahul from Doddaballapur in a convincing manner to finish on top of the podium. Cheered on by his mother Amita, a homemaker, and father Sunil, a builder from Chikmagalur, the former said they realised Aryan’s interest in sports by the time he turned six-years-old. “He has our complete support. It’s too soon to say anything but we are excited to see where this interest takes him,” said Amita.</p>.<p>At the two-day boxing event, Aryan said the best part about tournaments such as the Mini Olympics was that he got to meet and interact with players from different parts of the State. “It’s good exposure for so many boxers from smaller towns. We get to meet and make friends especially from rural areas,” he said before heading to Ballari the same night for the sub-junior nationals. </p>
<p>Inside a jam-packed room - big enough to place a 20x20 feet boxing ring kissing the side walls at one corner and another similar space filled with participants, coaches, parents, referees and announcers - it was a chess player who maneuvered his way to claim the boxing gold in the 58-61 kg category in the Karnataka Mini Olympics at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Tuesday. </p>.<p>“Chess, according to me, is the mother of all sports,” said Aryan Surya SA who has won several medals for India by winning games on an 8x8 checkered board in the under-8 to 13 age group. “Because once you learn how to apply your mind, one can play any sport. Boxing isn’t just about bashing your opponent. A good boxer needs to use his/her brain to win a fight,” said the 13-year-old from Bengaluru.</p>.<p>The eighth grader from Jain Heritage School, whose love for sports began with karate as a toddler, took a roundabout way, via chess, to get to the boxing gloves.</p>.<p>“We had a punching bag at home. I was always intrigued by it and used to randomly punch and replicate some boxing moves. My dad’s friend who happened to observe this suggested I enroll into a boxing club. That’s how it all began,” he explained. </p>.<p>Aryan, who trains at the Chandrashekar Azad boxing club in HMT Layout, defeated Rahul from Doddaballapur in a convincing manner to finish on top of the podium. Cheered on by his mother Amita, a homemaker, and father Sunil, a builder from Chikmagalur, the former said they realised Aryan’s interest in sports by the time he turned six-years-old. “He has our complete support. It’s too soon to say anything but we are excited to see where this interest takes him,” said Amita.</p>.<p>At the two-day boxing event, Aryan said the best part about tournaments such as the Mini Olympics was that he got to meet and interact with players from different parts of the State. “It’s good exposure for so many boxers from smaller towns. We get to meet and make friends especially from rural areas,” he said before heading to Ballari the same night for the sub-junior nationals. </p>
