Shiva Thapa

Hailing from Guwahati, Assam, Shiva Thapa became the first Indian boxer to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and is being regarded as a strong medal contender. He was a part of the Indian contingent at the 2012 London Games and is among the country’s youngest Olympians. The 22-year-old fights in the Bantamweight category and is 3rd in AIBA rankings. Thapa started boxing at an early and is said to have been inspired heavily by the legendary Mike Tyson. He grabbed gold at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in 2012 to book a berth at the London Olympics in the same year. Though he was not able to win a medal at the 2012 games, Thapa was immediately spotted by compatriots and industry experts as an exceptional boxing talent. He has converted his promise into medals by winning Asian Confederation Boxing Championship gold in 2013 and gaining a World Series of Boxing contract. Thapa is India’s biggest hope for a medal in boxing and with the likes of Mary Kom and Vijender Singh not participating; all eyes will be on him to strike it rich at the 2016 Rio Games.