Mohammad Hussamuddin from Nizamabad has become the first-ever boxer to win an individual medal (bronze in 56 kg) from Telangana in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Friday.
The success story of Hussamuddin is another gentle reminder of the abundance of talent in the State that badly needs to be nurtured. The gifted pugilist, the youngest of six bothers, was lucky in a way to be mentored by his father Mohammad Samsamuddin himself. He is the same person who also groomed woman boxer Nikhat Zareen (former World Youth gold medallist) in her formative years in Nizamabad.
“We are delighted that he is the first boxer from Telangana to achieve this. We knew it was coming, but were hoping for a much better performance,” exclaimed the proud father.
For someone who made an impact in the 2011 Youth Nationals with a silver and clinched a gold in his maiden Senior Nationals last year, Hussamuddin has always been tipped as one of the potential champions by SATS coach Omkar Yadav, who had seen his progress since childhood.
But what clearly changed his career graph for the good was when he joined the 1 EME Centre before moving over to the famed Army Sports Institute in Pune to be trained by Narender Rana and Kuttappa later.
Naturally, 24-year-old Hussamuddin is pleased, if not overjoyed, with his bronze in the ring on Friday. “I was targeting gold, but had to be content with bronze. Anyhow, this will remain a huge inspirational moment for me as I prepare for the bigger events later this year, including the Asian Games,” was what the boxer conveyed to SATS Chairman A. Venkateshwar Reddy, who was there to cheer the boxer.
“No doubt this is the beginning of a new chapter in my career and I am hopeful of winning in bigger events given the kind of motivation I get from this one,” was his message from Gold Coast when the SATS official made it a point to personally congratulate him.
