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MEDAL WINNERS FROM INDIA

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/13/2021 2:23:38 PM

Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar (born 10 December 1986) is an Indian boxer who won a gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He hails from the village of Rajound in the Kaithal district of Haryana. Early life and debut in boxing Kumar was born on 10 December 1986 in Rajound village, 30 km from Kaithal, Haryana. His father Sher Singh retired from the Indian Army, while his mother is a housewife. Manoj Kumar initially started his career as an athlete, while his elder brother Rajesh Kumar Rajound was an emerging boxer. When Rajesh Kumar Rajound won gold in the University championship he was expecting to be selected for the national team. However he was ignored, and therefore decided to bring his younger brother into boxing. He started to coach Manoj Kumar and also insisted his younger brother Mukesh Kumar change from judo to boxing to become a sparring partner of Manoj Kumar. All three travelled from their village Rajound to Kaithal to train. In the early days they trained with the help of old bicycle tubes. Manoj Kumar became national Champion for the first time when he beat defending champion Som Bahadur Pun in 2008. After that Manoj never looked back. He won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Career Commonwealth Games 2010 Won against D Lassayo (Sierra Leone) Won against G Gaasite (Botswana) Won against B Mathenge of Kenya in the quarters Won 3–1 against V Knowles of Bahamas in a low scoring semifinal Won 11–2 against Bradley Saunders of England in the final and became champion. 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships Kumar reached the quarterfinals, losing 18–24 to Tom Stalker, at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Earlier in the competition, Kumar had defeated Valentino Knowles of Bahamas 17–11, Ray Moylette of Ireland 19–7 and Hu Qing of China 17–15. This last victory against Hu Qing had sealed his qualification.