Seven Indian male boxers have qualified for the London Olympics, two more than ever before. Sports writer Shamya Dasgupta believes that three of them, Vikas Krishan (60 kg), Shiva Thapa (56 kg) and 2008 bronze medalist Vijender Singh have good shots at winning medals, as do two female boxers, five-time world champion MC Mary Kom (51 kg) and former world champion Sarita Devi (60 kg).
Five of the male boxers are from Haryana, where incentives such as cash rewards and job promotions have encouraged athletes to strive harder, says Dasgupta, author of the forthcoming book Bhiwani Junction—The Untold Story of Boxing in India.
“India’s best showing at an Olympics to date is just three medals: one gold and two bronzes in 2008,” Dasgupta writes on the BBC News website. “The boxers—men and women together—alone can knock that statistic out come August 2012.”