NEW DELHI, Sept 27: Indian boxers are heading in the right direction and will do something big at the Tokyo Olympic Games, reckons High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, who wants his wards to emerge as outright winners and secure at least five Olympic spots during the Asian qualifiers.
The Indian boxers produced their best-ever show at the World Championships with Amit Panghal (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (63kg) winning silver and bronze respectively in Russia. Before this, the country had never won more than one bronze in a single edition of the showpiece event.
�Every tournament we go, we always compare the results to what could have happened if it were the Olympics. Are we on the right track? So far, we have shown in every single competition that we are doing well,� Nieva told PTI.
�In Olympics, there are no guarantees but we are in the right direction and we are confident we will do something big in the Olympics.�
Indian boxers will now train their eyes on the Asian-Oceania qualifiers scheduled to be held in Wuhan, China from February 3-14.
In the qualifiers, Olympic spots will be up for grabs in eight men�s weight classes � Flyweight (52kg), Featherweight (57kg), Lightweight (63kg), Welterweight (69kg), Middleweight (75kg), Light Heavyweight (81kg), Heavyweight (91kg) and Super Heavyweight (+91kg). � PTI
