NAGPUR: The city's only international boxer and Youth World Champion - Alfiya Khan Pathan - on Sunday became the first woman boxer from Maharashtra to get selected in the senior India team. Alfiya has left for Amman in Jordan with the Indian contingent to play the ASBC Elite Boxing Championships 2022. This is the first time the India squad has two Maharashtra boxers, Anant Chopde in men and Alfiya in women.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa will lead India's campaign at the championships. There are many renowned boxers in different weight categories.
The 19-year-old Nagpur girl, who will play in +81kg category, had cleared trials for the championship last month. In July, Alfiya had defeated 2016 world champion Lazzat Kungeibayeva of Kazakhstan in the women's +81kg final at Kazakhstan. It was Alfiya's first international tour in the senior category and she made it count.
On the basis of that performance, she was included in the senior national camp in August. Generally, a player is selected in the national camp on the basis of performance in the senior national championship.
On very few occasions, boxers are included in the camp on other criteria like it happened with Alfiya and Gitika (48kg) in August. Both these boxers were medal winners in Kazakhstan. Gitika could not make the cut for the championship in Jordan.
Alfiya, daughter of Akram Pathan, an assistant sub-inspector with Nagpur Police, trains under state senior coach Ganesh Purohit.
The squad:
Men: Govind Sahani (48kg), Sparsh Kumar (51kg), Ananta Chopade (54kg), Md. Hussamuddin (57kg), Etash Khan (60kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Amit Kumar (67kg), Sachin (71kg), Sumit (75kg), Lakshya (80kg), Kapil (86kg), Naveen (92kg), Narender (+92kg);
Women: Monika (48kg), Savita (50kg), Minakshi (52kg), Sakshi (54kg), Preeti (57kg), Simranjit (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita Boro (66kg), Pooja (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Saweety (81kg), Alfiya Pathan (+81kg).
