14 September,2026 08:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Karan Shankar
India boxer Sakshi Chaudhary during a training session at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala recently. Pic/AFP
India women's boxing coach Santiago Nieva, who was at the helm of the historic Commonwealth Games squad that clinched six medals (five gold, one silver) recently, has already set his sights on the next, and even bigger, challenge - the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
India totalled a record 10 medals in boxing (seven gold, three silver) at the CWG in Glasgow last month - a feat no nation had achieved before.
However, Nieva is refusing to bask in the glory of his team's achievements and is instead focused on preparing for the much tougher competition in Japan, with boxing powerhouses Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China in the fray. "We all know that the Asian Games is a bigger and stronger competition. We always prepare to be at our best. If we are at our best, our chances to win will increase. Otherwise, the approach is the same as any other competition. Recently, in the Asian Championships [March 28 to April 11], we showed that we are one of the top nations [Indian women finished on top of the table with four gold, two silver and four bronze] and we'll try to replicate that in the Asian Games," Nieva told mid-day recently.
He added that the team will travel to Japan for a preparatory camp before the competition.
Nieva has set a clear target for his five-member squad - Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Parveen Hooda (65kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg).
"The target is between three to four medals. Obviously, the draw is very important for this. But we certainly have the capacity to win four or even five medals. Knowing how the competition will be stacked, somewhere between three to four medals will be ideal,"
added Nieva.
He also acknowledged that the squad will miss the likes of Jaismine Lamboria and Arundhati Choudhary, who were among the gold medallists in Glasgow. "One huge setback for us is that there are a couple of weights - 57kg and 70kg - where we won gold in the Commonwealth Games, but they will not be there. There, we're very strong with Jaismine and Arundhati. They're two of our best boxers who have a great chance of winning gold. But it is what it is," he signed off.
