Indian boxers land in Kiev for World Junior C`ships

New Delhi: The Indian junior boxing team has reached Kiev, Ukraine for the AIBA World Championships after a 20-day training stint in Cyprus with Ankush Dahiya (46kg) and Puskar Singh (54kg) set to open the country`s campaign in the mega-event.

An 18 member team consisting of 15 boxers and three coaches engaged in 20 day long training programme at Cyprus. Out of the 18, 10 (including 9 short-listed boxers and a coach) directly progressed to Kiev, Ukraine for the Championships starting today. The AIBA World Junior Championships welcomes international boxers in 13 weight categories to compete against the best in their division. The AIBA World Junior Championships, held every two years, goes back to 2001 with its debut in Baku, Azerbaijan. Formerly called the AIBA Cadet World Championships, the AIBA World Junior Championships is open to boxers aged 15 and 16. Over the next 10 days 351 boxers from 52 countries will be vying for the coveted title of Junior World Champion in Kiev. "This is a big test for our boys. We have been working hard at the National Coaching Camps and are ready for this challenge and I am sure we will return with a favourable result," said national coach Mohinder Singh Dhaka. Former Sub-Junior National Champion Prayag Chauhan (60kg), who bagged the light weight Asian title by winning the gold medal at the Continental Championships, will lead the Indian charge in the event. Bronze medal winner at Asian Championships, Vishnu Dayanand Chayal (57kg) and Aditya Maan (66kg) will also stake a claim for a podium finish at the World Championship. Gaurav Solanki (48kg) and Ashish Kumar (63kg) will also be ones to look out for in their respective weight division. The first day of competition will see Ankush locking horns with Sergey Getevonyan from Armenia while Puskar will take on Hungarian boxer Krisztofer Berki. PTI