CHENNAI: It's not every day that you beat a tournament favourite. Manish Kaushik did that when he got the better of Shiva Thapa in the boxing nationals last year. At the time, there was a lot of talk on whether it was a one-time thing. In fact, the young lad from Bhiwani himself couldn’t believe it.
But the 23-year-old put all doubts to bed a week back when he did the same, rather easily, at the India Open boxing meet. “This is the second time I have won against Shiva (Thapa). If he can win medals at World Championships, I feel I can do it too. The entire tournament (India Open) was a great experience for me. Though I beat him once, I wanted to prove myself that it was no fluke. Now, people will recognise me,” Manish told Express.
After the tournament concluded, India’s high-performance director Santiago Nieva remained tight-lipped when asked about the Commonwealth Games probables. But he was full of praise for Manish.
“Nothing is sure as of now. We have planned some exposure trips before the trials in March. But performances like this will certainly play a role while selecting,” Santiago said.
Manish was pitted against some quality pugilists at the India Open. Though he was given a walkover against his Mongolian rival Battumur Misheelt in the final, he has been winning medals in international tournaments (bronze at President’s Cup in Indonesia and gold at Doha International Cup) recently. A few believe that Thapa is not yet comfortable in the 60kg category after competing in the 56kg for most of his senior career. But Manish is not worried about all that. “I have played in the Asian Championship back in 2012 and I lost there. Recent tournaments have given me some exposure as well. I know how tough competition like the CWG and Asian Games will be. But for now, I am confident.”
Training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune for the past two years has been benefitting him a lot. He also praised the effect Nieva has had. His father is a farmer and had a tough time to fund Manish when he started out. “They always told me, do whatever you want. But be the best in what you do.”
While this is only the beginning, Manish said that he is not under any pressure to perform. “There is a trial in March and then only I will know my fate. If I am in the team, I will be very happy. This time, I have a slight feeling that I can make it and it will be special as it will be my first time in an event like this. But, I am not under pressure as I have nothing to lose.”
vimalsankar@newindianexpress.com