Boxing: Gutsy Satish Kumar's debut Olympics ends with loss to world champ Jalolov in QFs
Tokyo: A badly bruised Satish Kumar (+91kg) put up a gutsy performance against reigning world champion Bakhodir Jalolov but it was not enough to upstage the rampaging Uzbek as the Indian boxer made a quarterfinal exit from the Olympic Games here on Sunday.
Taking the ring with multiple stitches on his forehead and chin after sustaining cuts in the pre-quarters, Satish lost 0-5 but the scoreline was not reflective of his brave performance.
Satish, a two-time Asian Games bronze-winner and multiple-time national champion, had scripted history by just qualifying for the Games as he was the first super heavyweight from India to achieve the feat.
"He is a bit low right now but when he settles down, he will realise how big it was for him to fight it out with those cuts," Indian Boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told PTI.
"The fight he gave despite the blows is praiseworthy. Every punch that Jalolov connected added to his pain, he was feeling it all through. The Uzbek boxer is a special talent," he said.
The 32-year-old Army man stood his ground in the biggest bout of his career, occasionally managed to land a shot with his right hand but Jalolov dominated the proceedings all through, relying on his imposing demeanour and excellent counter-attacking game to sail through.
What stood out about the Commonwealth Games silver-winner was his resolve to fight it out. The former kabaddi player from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr did not hesitate to launch attacks despite the risk of his cuts opening up.
Satish's forehead cut did open up eventually during the third round but he fought through even with that.
"Satish was seriously injured with 13 stitches above his eye and on his chin. That he still decided to fight against the No. 1 boxer shows his courage and patriotism.
"Not many will take blows for their country like Satish did today. We are very proud of him," Boxing Federation of India President Ajay Singh said.
Jalolov, a 27-year-old footballer-turned-boxer, also acknowledged his rival's bravery at the end of the bout by nodding in appreciation towards him after securing his maiden Olympic Games medal.
Jalolov is also a three-time Asian champion, all those gold medals coming in succession to him since 2017.
With this the Indian men's boxing campaign came to an end in the Games.
Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) remains the lone pugilist in fray after having made the semifinals to secure India's first and only boxing medal of the ongoing edition.
On Saturday, it was a major disappointment for India when world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) bowed out of the event following a 1-4 loss to Rio Games silver-medallist Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia.
An injured Vikas Krishan (69kg), and the debutant duo of Manish Kaushik (63kg) and Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) had earlier bowed out following opening-round losses.
In the women's competition, six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg), two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (75kg) and world bronze-winner Simranjit Kaur (60kg) had lost in the preliminary stage.
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
