In the mid-way of the 3rd Khelo India Youth Games 2020, hosts Assam swept almost all the gold on offer in Lawn Bowl.
Assam is also hopeful of surging in the boxing competitions which got underway as the host team has many talented boxers in its 35-member contingent.
The 3rd Khelo India Youth Games 2020 was inaugurated in Guwahati on January 10, 2020, by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and union sports & youth affairs minister Kiren Rijiju.
Also read: Khelo India: Assam’s gold medal tally touches six
Assam’s chief boxing coach Amar Deka, who predicted a bigger payday around, said, “We have a very strong contingent of 35 boxers in the tournament this time. We are confident of doing much better than the three medals that we won in 2019.”
As per a report on the Khelo India website, Deka claimed that the boxers of the host team are mentally tough, physically fit and are well-prepared for the Khelo India games.
However, the chief coach conceded that he should have spent a little more time with all the athletes in the lead up to the tournament.
The Assam coach further said, “Everyone has prepared well for the Khelo India Games. They are all fit and raring to go.”
“But many of them don’t have good infrastructure for boxing in their hometowns. I wish we could have trained a little longer with each of the boxers,” Deka said.
Apart from the pressure of showcasing their talent, the Assam boxers will have to deal with the pressure of being the host state.
Deka added, “Since we are the host team, there is a lot of pressure on all our boxers to perform well in the Khelo India Youth Games. Everyone has been coming and telling us that since we are the hosts, our medal tally will increase.”