Bantamweight boxer Gaurav Bidhuri requested for a trial in order to stake his claim for a spot in the Indian squad at the April Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
“I haven’t competed in the last few months and missed out on the Nationals and the India Open. I have requested for a trial,” said Bidhuri, who’s recovering from a long-term injury.
The Boxing Federation of India will meet on the 28th of February to decide whether to hold trials or to select the CWG team based on previous performances.
“In the coming days there will be trials for the Commonwealth Games. I was on rehabilitation (after suffering a back injury) till November and started my practice in January. It won’t be tough for me to make a comeback,” said the 24-year-old Delhi fighter who caught the boxing fans’ attention by grabbing a bronze medal in the 56-kg class at last years World Championships in Hamburg.
The injury came at a wrong time for the pugilist and forced him to skip the Indian Open held in Delhi in January. But he sounded confident of the course ahead following the boost in his confidence after raking in a bronze in Germany.
“I got a medal in the World Championships and that was a stepping stone. If I can get a medal at the World Championships, then why not at the Commonwealth Games and the (subsequent) Asian Games (in Jakarta, Indonesia)? That’s how I motivate myself,” added Bidhuri.
Incidentally, the Delhi fighter is only the fourth Indian boxer to win a world championship medal after Vijender Singh (2009), Vikas Krishan (201l) and Shiva Thapa (2015).
(With inputs from PTI)
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