The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) yesterday hailed boxers Shiva Thapa and Sumit Sangwan who not only qualified for the London Olympics but also won gold medals at the recent Asian Olympic qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Teenagers Shiva (18) and Sumit (19) emerged on top in the 56kg and 81kg weight categories respectively. They simply needed to enter the finals of the competition to qualify for the London Olympics, but instead the duo went a step ahead and clinched the yellow metal too.
Shiva Thapa
Sumit Sangwan
Star boxer Vijender Singh (75 kg) also made it to the Olympics by reaching the semi-finals in Astana. u00a0The IOA also heaped praise on Geeta for becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics.u00a0
“The performance of Indian sportspersons in the Olympic Qualifiers has been very encouraging, and we are hopeful that at the London Games, India’s medal tally will be better. Teenagers Shiva, Sumit and wrestler Geeta not only qualified, but also won the gold medals. Shiva will be the youngest boxer, and Geeta, the first woman wrestler to represent India at the Olympics. This is a big achievement,” IOA acting president, Vijay Kumar Malhotra said in a statement.u00a0
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