South Asian Games winner Sanil Shahi is among the winners of the Nepal National Selection Tournament
Nepal arranged its National Selection Tournament to pick their currently best elite male boxers to the upcoming AIBA World Boxing Championships. Five boxers earned their gold medals in the National Selection Tournament and among them four can attend in the upcoming event in Serbia’s capital.
Nepal hosted the last edition of the South Asian Games in December 2019 which was a big impact in the country’s boxing life. The Covid-19 pandemic stopped their progress but the Nepal Boxing Association worked well in the recent months to get activities for their best female and male national team members.
Nepal sent boxers to the ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships where the country claimed historical medals. Nepal also sent a small delegation to the Kielce 2021 AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships where one of their girls advanced to the quarter-finals at the very first time.
The men boxers could attend in five different weight classes in the National Selection Tournament which was a four-days long competition. Boxers at the flyweight (51kg), the featherweight (57kg), the light welterweight (63.5kg), the welterweight (67kg) and the light middleweight (71kg) attended in the national event.
Rabin Thapa is one of the most progressed young talents in Nepal who had more experienced rivals in the national event at the flyweight (51kg) but he eliminated all of them by split decision including Chandra Thapa Magar and Pradip Maharjan. Nepal’s veteran boxer Puran Rai competed in several international events therefore he had all of the experiences to beat Saroj Maharjan in the final of the featherweight (57kg).
Bhupendra Thapa Magar is also an experienced boxer in Nepal who dominated his final against Pawan Gurung at the light welterweight (63.5kg). Sanil Shahi was gold medallist in the South Asian Games in 2019 and the 23-year-old hope moved up to the welterweight (67kg) in the recent months. Shahi is a native talent in our sport, and dominated his final against Dawa Chhiring Lama while the fifth gold medal of the National Selection Tournament was achieved by Bikash Lama.
List of the winners in the Nepal National Selection Tournament
51kg: Rabin Thapa 57kg: Puran Rai63.5kg: Bhupendra Thapa Magar 67kg: Sanil Shahi 71kg: Bikash Lama
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