As the Paris 2024 Olympics starts in less than a day, Indian boxer Nishant Dev shared his goal of ‘aiming for the stars’ at the quadrennial tournament.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, 23-year-old pugilist Nishant Dev wrote:
“Perched on possibilities, aiming for the stars.”
In the photograph, the amateur boxer can be seen all smiles, sitting on top of the Olympic rings at the Paris 2024 Olympics village in the French capital.
Nishant Dev is part of the strong Indian boxing contingent at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Despite having a strong history with boxing, India has yet to generate much success in the field at the Olympic Games. India has won just three Olympic medals in sports – all bronze – with Vijender Singh (Beijing 2008), Mary Kom (London 2012), and Lovlina Borgohain (Tokyo 2020).
Nishant will look to add to India’s boxing medals tally at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the pugilist coming to the competition on a high after winning a bronze medal in the 71 kg category at the 2023 IBA Men's World Boxing Championships.
He will participate in the light middle-weight 71 kg event at the Olympic Games and will look to secure a podium finish for his country.
Nishant Dev is the first male Indian boxer to secure qualification for the Paris Games, with India eventually sending six boxers to France. The team includes several experienced players, including Olympic bronze-medalist Borgohain (women’s 75 kg), Commonwealth Games gold medalist Nikhat Zareen (women’s 50kg), and Asian Games bronze medalist Preeti Pawar (women’s 54kg).
The other members of the contingent are Jaismine Lamboria (women’s 60 kg) and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Amit Panghal (men’s 51 kg).
The six-person boxing team of India reached Paris on Wednesday for the upcoming Olympic Games, which will start on Friday. The boxing events are scheduled to start on July 27 and will conclude on August 10.