Gold Coast CWG silver medallist boxer Amit Panghal eyes Asian Games 2018, saying that it will be his big test and he would look to improve his speed. The man from Rohtak lost to Galal Yafai of England in the finals to settle for a silver in men’s 49kg category.
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“I had a good CWG. I worked hard and I got a medal. Of course I had hoped for a gold but got silver and I am not satisfied by that, I will have to work on my speed. My next target is Asian Games,” Amit told PTI as reported by TOI.
“But Asian games will be very tough and it would be a big test for me. I will prepare for that accordingly. We’ll have to watch the videos of our opponents and work on our weaknesses and prepare under our coaches.
“Also there would be invitational tours. We are going to US under TOP scheme for a 20-day training which will help us,” added the 22-years-old southpaw boxer.
Amit said that it is a big achievement for the Indian boxing contingent to return with nine medals at Gold Coast CWG.
“If you look at the overall performance, it is the first time we have won so many medals at CWG. First time, all boxers reached the semifinals and it is a very big achievement. If we can continue the training with our coaches, and put in the hard work, I am sure we will win medals at Asian Games and Olympics,” he said.
Amit confessed that he had suffered an injury in his left arm during the gold medal bout and missed out on the top honours.
“There was not much difference. If wasn’t injured, I could have given a tough fight and won a gold. He was a tough boxer. But if I could have played my game, may be there was a chance,” he said.
“Now the injury is fine. There is swelling but hopefully I will be better in a week. I would be leaving for US for training on May 1, I will be fine by then and so it would a good preparation for the upcoming events.”
He also credited High-Performance Director Santiago Nieva for India’s show at Gold Coast.
“Our new coach has a huge contribution to our performance. He made us work on my strength and speed and to his credit where ever and whenever he has trained boxers, always they have won medals,” he said.
Amit also revealed how he got into boxing.
“I had started in 2008. My uncle trains boxers near my village (Maina in Rohtak) and my brother (Ajay) used to go there and I used to go with my brother for physical fitness. So there he saw something in me and he started training me.
“Later I have been training at Patiala since 2015 under India’s top coaches. But whenever I get off on Saturday and Sunday, I go to him and he always gives me good inputs,”
The Asian games is slated to begin from 18 August to 2 September 2018 in Indonesia.
