SUMIT SANGWAN, 19 Category: 81kg Hails from: Karnal, Haryana Sporting high: A gold medal in the Asian Olympic qualifiers in 2012

Financially, his family was not in a position to let both his brother and him pursue boxing. Eventually, his older brother was forced to make the sacrifice of helping their father plough their small piece of land so that the younger one could pursue the sport.
SUMIT SANGWAN, 19 Category: 81kg Hails from: Karnal, Haryana Sporting high: A gold medal in the Asian Olympic qualifiers in 2012

  The elder brother, Amit Sangwan, who had wept when he had to give up the sport he was so passionate about, holds no grudges today. “Sumit has made us proud,” he says. “Through him, I am living my dream of playing at the Olympics.”

Sumit Sangwan, who upset the seasoned Dinesh Kumar to get a place in the squad, is thankful to his brother and father. “Things are better now, but even a decade ago, money was hard to come by,” recalls the 19-year-old. “Even so, my family didn’t let anything disrupt my training. My brother sacrificed his passion for boxing for my sake.”
Sangwan, who began training with Arjuna awardee Raj Kumar Sangwan, earned his Olympic berth at his very first international outing in the senior category earlier this year. “Now that I’ve gained some experience, it’s just a matter of time before the results start showing,” he says. “I hope to do my country proud at London.”

As far as Manoj Kumar is concerned, movement and other techniques take a backseat in the boxing ring – it all boils down to the punches you throw. “So, one should have power in his punch and the stamina to keep on punching till the last second of the bout,” says Kumar, who made it to the quarterfinals at last year’s World Championship to win an Olympic spot. “Having missed out on the Beijing Games, it’s only now that I’ve got a chance to realise my dream of competing and winning a medal for my country at the Olympics,” says Kumar. “I hope my dream comes true in London.”