Boxer Manisha Moun keen for Olympic quota place

The 22-year-old Haryana girl, who is likely to be challenged by Sonia Lather, Sakshi Chaudhary and Sonia Chahal in 57kg, wants to add power to her punches.

Boxer Manisha Moun is keen to secure an Olympic quota place.

 

After recovering from an elbow injury and settling down in the 57kg weight category, boxer Manisha Moun is keen to secure an Olympic quota place.

Manisha – who earned the reputation of a ‘giant killer’ by upsetting Worlds medallist Christina Cruz and World champion Dina Zholaman to make it to the 54kg quarterfinals of the 2018 World women’s boxing championships in Delhi – claimed an Asian championships bronze medal in 2019 to prove her worth.

However, she accidentally hurt her right elbow during a sparring session to jolt her progress. “Even though I did not stop training during my rehab, the injury had a little impact (on my performance).

"I switched to 57kg to try for the Olympics. Getting set in the new weight also took time. Now I feel more comfortable in the new weight,” Manisha told Sportstar .

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The 22-year-old Haryana girl, who is likely to be challenged by Sonia Lather, Sakshi Chaudhary and Sonia Chahal in 57kg, wants to add power to her punches. “When you fight in a new weight, the punches you receive feel heavier. I am focusing on strength training and my diet. With more strength, I can tackle the opponents better and can land more powerful punches. I will get better with time and I can win the trial.”

Manisha, an India Open silver medallist in 57kg, trained under coach Ron Simms at Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) before joining the National camp at Patiala. “I spent some time at home and taught my parents a few things about boxing during the lockdown. Then, I worked on my fitness and movement during my training with Ron. Now, the National camp has resumed and the training will pick up on the return of (foreign coach) Raffaele Bergamasco.

“The extra time I got due to the postponement of the Olympics will be beneficial. I will use it to improve my game,” said Manisha.