Golden goal for boxer
INDIAN BOXER LOST OUT TO BRITON TO SETTLE FOR SILVER IN COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Indian Commonwealth Games silver medallist Satish Kumar Yadav targets the Asian Games and Olympics |
Having narrowly lost the Super Heavyweight (+91 kilogram) title at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (CWG), Indian boxer Satish Kumar Yadav is now looking forward to winning gold at bigger events like the Asian Games and Olympics.
Satish lost by a unanimous 0:5 verdict to Frazer Clarke of England after an extremely hardfought final in which both boxers pushed themselves to the limit.
While he is aware that the standard at the Asian Games — to be held in Jakarta later this year — will be several notches higher, the seasoned Indian Army boxer asserted that his experience at the Commonwealth Games will hold him in good stead.
“I am happy with my performance at the Commonwealth Games. Now I want to win gold medals at the Asian Games and Olympics. However, the overall standard of boxers in those tournaments will be much better than what I faced in Gold Coast.
Tough in Olympics
“The level of competition at the Asian Games will be very close to the Olympics and World Championships. Former Soviet nations like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan along with Mongolia, Thailand, China and South Korea are among the big powers of world boxing,” Satish told IANS.
“But still, the experience at the Commonwealth Games has given me confidence. Boxers from Australia, England, New Zealand and Ireland are very strong in the Super Heavyweight category. They have extremely good technique as well. I learnt a lot by fighting against them.
“For example, the England boxer in the final had a height and reach advantage over me and he was extremely strong defensively as well. I had to use my brains and change my tactics accordingly during the fight. My coach told me to use my speed since I have extremely good endurance,” he added.
“Of course, the Asian Games and Olympics will be extremely tough. But I have only one target — the gold medal. That is the only medal worth fighting for.”