Chief National coach of the Indian boxing team G.S. Sandhu said that the failure to win a medal in the London Olympics would spur the boxers to work harder.
Sandhu, who returned from London with four boxers on Tuesday, expressed hope that the pugilists would bounce back from the setback.
“The disappointment will definitely motivate them. Now they are hungrier and more spirited. They cannot digest defeat easily,” said Sandhu.
Altogether seven male boxers had qualified for the London Olympics.
Three of them, Vijender Singh, Jai Bhagwan and Vikas Krishan, had returned home earlier, while Devendro Singh, Shiva Thapa, Manoj Kumar and Sumit Sangwan arrived here on Tuesday.
Despite the disappointing result, Sandhu had confidence in the boxers.
“Even today, I can say that all of them are capable of winning medals (at the highest level). It is not difficult to win a medal, it is difficult to maintain it. We were looking to equal Beijing (Vijender’s bronze), but unfortunately we could not.”
“Many of our boxers suffered narrow margin losses and that affected our overall showing,” said Sandhu.
Published - August 15, 2012 02:02 am IST