After winning a gold medal in 64kg category and best boxer award at the recently concluded AIBA Youth Women's World Boxing Championship in Guwahati, pugilist Ankushita Boro said the experiences in Kazakhstan and Turkey helped the Indian youth boxers perform better.
"We went to Kazakhstan and Turkey to prepare for the championship. The 15-day training tour in Kazakhstan was an eye-opening experience for us. Most of us were under the impression that foreign boxers would be much stronger and superior to us but that inferior feeling changed in Kazhakstan. After that, we went to Turkey (Ahmet Comert Boxing Championship), where we got to rub shoulders with them and that made us very confident for the championship in Guwahati. I faced the same boxers here and I was able to express myself completely here," said Ankushita during the felicitation ceremony of youth Indian boxers by Boxing Federation of India here on Friday.
Seven pugilists were awarded cheques worth Rs 11 lakh by BFI president Ajay Singh during the felicitation. Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was also present at the event.
Head coach Bergamasco praised the boxing talent that India possesses and believes that they are in good hand to help them move forward.
"I think it was great to achieve so many medals in short span of time I was with the team (5 months). This also shows the previous coach also did a good job of nurturing them. They are talented girls who just showed they can match the pace and strength of other countries. I am really impressed with the zeal they showed to improve themselves. They are lucky to have a federation and government who are eager to give them all the support they need.
BFI president praised the effort of Bergamasco and showed confidence in him for future.
"He has done a tremendous job with the youth squad and we are very confident that he will do wonders with the elite squad as well. And also these young boxers will form the core team in the future and it makes all the more sense if he is there with these boxers when they graduate to the next level," Singh said.
Sports Minister congratulated the boxers and asked them to keep believing in themselves.
"I would like to congratulate all the boxers for their efforts and making the country proud. I would like to urge the boxers to believe that they are the best and can beat anybody in the world," Rathore added.