UP pugilist Govind has eyes on success
LUCKNOW:Young pugilist Govind Sahani keeps an eye on two boxers for different reasons even when he is training at the national camp or participating in the national championships. They are Shiva Thapa, who is three-time Asian medallist and other one is national champion Deepak Singh, who is a silver medallist in 49 kg category at the Asian Championship.
Govind, who hails from Gorakhpur, draws inspirations from Thapa’s bouts and success, but tries to understand the drawbacks of Deepak so that he could beat him next time to make a podium finish. This has been a routine for Govind since winning a silver medal at the 38th GeeBee Boxing Tournament in Helsinki (Finland) this March.
“Deepak would be my biggest target this time and I have my plans to beat him,” Govind said on the eve of the five-day India Open, beginning Monday at Guwahati with the participation of over 200 boxers from 16 countries. “His (Deepak’s) leg movements are quite quick, but now I have learnt the tactics to handle him this time,” added Govind, who would be playing his first international on home turf.
“This time, nothing less than a gold medal is acceptable to me. I am looking forward to my bout with Deepak as I came close to defeating him during Asian Championship trials (2-3). I have worked on my shortcomings and am raring to go. There has been a change in my movement after Finland tournament. Earlier, I used to be really aggressive all the time but now, the coaches are training me to play from medium and long range.”
Govind, however, accepted while training alongside Deepak has been a great help to him. “I have been told to be precise and make my shots count rather than trying too many shots and missing them. Deepak is good friend of mine but in the ring we are just fighters. Now, I have learnt the art of maintaining my stamina and make use of it properly,” said Govind, son of a famer.
He also said that there was big change in his training schedule for good. “Earlier, I used to train for 2-2:30 hours per session but now, the coaches have instructed me to train for 1-1:30 hour but with more intensity. More than weight training, I am focusing more on fine tuning my game.”
In fact, Govind’s journey as a sportsperson started in 2009. He started playing football but soon lost interest and shifted his focus to boxing. In fact, he was keen to pursue an individual sport and that’s why he chose boxing. In 2012, when he lost a junior state game and his coach pulled him off is when he realised the importance of hard work and discipline.
That incident changed his outlook towards boxing, and since then there have been no looking back for him. Later that year, he joined Kailash Prakash Sports Stadium in Meerut where he started training and perfecting his skills but the lack of proper sparring partner was still a hindrance he faced.
While it seemed everything was on track, Govind suffered a fracture in his left hand. In order to train and not miss playing, he lied to his patents. Later, in 2014, he shifted to Kashipur, where he trained for three years but by then he had a deadly sting of “depression”. And in no time severe depression gripped him and losing tournaments only added to the issue.
“I worked so hard and gave my best but every time the decision would go against me. I was totally dejected and was ready to quit and go away. It was my mother’s support in those dark hours which kept me going.”
While he was fighting bouts of depression off the ring, life was unforgiving inside the ring too.
In 2017, a boxer he had been defeating thrice was chosen over him to represent UP in nationals, which left him heartbroken. And a year later, braving all the negativities, Govind decided to stand tall. While the opportunity came to represent Nagaland in 2018 Nationals; he grabbed it with both his hands. He not only was back in the ring; he won a bronze medal and a call to the national camp.
Indians had six gold medals last year, and having trained rigorously on improving their attacking game, the India Open is a place where the country’s pugilists are ready to show their supremacy despite some stiff international competition.