India at CWG 2022: Teenage boxer Sumit Kundu has big shoes to fill on Commonwealth Games debut-Sports News , Firstpost

Reigning national champion Sumit Kundu qualified for Commonwealth Games on merit by winning the BFI trials in June. BFI

Kolkata: The 75kg category of boxing at the Commonwealth Games has always delivered a medal for India over the last three editions since 2010. India’s first Olympic medal-winning boxer Vijender Singh dominated the weight category in the early half of the decade, winning bronze and then a silver medal in 2010 Delhi and 2014 Glasgow respectively. Vikas Krishan Yadav got one better in 2018 Gold Coast by winning the gold.

Now in Birmingham, the onus has fallen on teenager Sumit Kundu, who shone at the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) trials, to defend Vikas’s gold medal. For the 19-year-old boy, however, this could be the toughest challenge of his career as he will make his debut at the Games.

A glance at his form and the doubts about his credibility disappear as the reigning national champion, who won Thailand Open gold medal, stunned World Championships silver medallist Dzhambulat Bizhamov at Stranja Memorial earlier this year. Last year, Sumit also had the luxury to face the eventual world champion Yoenlis Hernandez, who humbled the Indian boxer 1-0 in the pre-quarters of the World Championships in Belgrade.

“Jo mehnat ki, wo rang lai (My hard work paid off),” Sumit tells Firstpost. “I still feel I surprised myself with my growth as well. Beating the World Championship silver medallist after losing to the champion was, in particular, a highlight for me as it gave me a lot of confidence.”

And winning a medal in Birmingham is very important for Sumit, as he wants to win it for people, who understood his love for the game.

“There have been many heroes in my life, who helped me out when I needed financial help in boxing. I want to win a Commonwealth Games medal for them as a tribute,” says the boxer.

Childhood coach comes to aid amid financial struggles

Born in Haryana’s Dhakal village, Sumit and his two siblings were raised by their mother, who did odd tailoring jobs to look after her family. She also had to think twice before agreeing to pay Rs 150 per month of training fee as she had to surrender to her son’s wish of boxing.

“Rs 150 might not be a big amount now but used to be for my family in 2013. Stitching clothes, it was difficult for her to look after all three of her kids. That’s why my mother said no to my wishes of boxing at first but then agreed to pay for my training at the KM Boxing Centre in my locality,” recalls the boxer.

However, boxing was still an expensive sport, which required him to purchase a pair of boxing gloves, shoes, and other apparel. The cost of it all ran close to Rs 5,000 and with Sumit in his teens means they were recurring expenses. The budding boxer’s big-hearted coach Ved Prakash came to his aid by providing the boxing apparel and waiving his monthly fees.

“My coach does a lot for boxing,” says Sumit. “Two-three months into training, he asked me not to pay the fee anymore seeing my financial conditions, and also paid for my boxing gloves and other requirements. He didn’t just do it for me but for other kids in need too.”

A quick-footed boxer, known for his aggressive style of boxing, went on to win the bronze, silver, and gold medals on the canter at the state sub-junior championships from 2014 onwards. A dip in 2017 came when he missed the junior Nationals, also a trial for Asian Junior Championships, but he came back stronger in 2018 by winning the gold medal.

His international debut had to wait till the 2021 AIBA World Youth Championships, whose berth he confirmed by impressive performances at the Khelo India Games. Reaching the Worlds, he lost in the 69kg quarter-finals to Ukraine’s eventual champion Yurii Zakharieiev. This was also the year when he made his debut in the senior World Championship six months later for a pre-quarters exit.

Now all set to compete in his first quadrennial event in CWG Birmingham, Sumit has learned to handle pressure on the big stage and is eager to bag his first major medal.

“What I experienced competing at the top-level, there’s no place for thinking too much. It only takes the focus away from you. You have to go in and execute what you did at the training and keep in mind what was instructed by the coach. I have never played any competition without thinking of winning it and Commonwealth gives that extra motivation among us Indians to push for the glory,” concludes Sumit.

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