Sikkim Defies Odds to Win Rare Boxing National Medal

Yasika Rai won a rare boxing medal for Sikkim at the women's boxing nationals.

- Avishek Roy

GREATER NOIDA: It was a medal she could have easily missed due to the ongoing administrative crisis in the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

The participation of the six-member Sikkim team was in doubt till the last minute as state officials, opposed to the current BFI regime, instructed the team to withdraw from the competition. Attempts were even made to stop the boxers at the airport while they were preparing to board the flight to Delhi.

However, the delegation defied their association and went ahead to enter the team in the competition. The result was Yasika breaking a 12-year medal-less streak for Sikkim at Elite Women's National Championships. She also became only the fifth Sikkim woman boxer to win a medal at the senior nationals. The first one was Dronacharya Awardee Sandhya Gurung, who has trained Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain.