Shiva Thapa

Shiva Thapa (born 8 December 1993) is an Indian boxer. Shiva Thapa participated in the 2012 London Olympics,[1] and was the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics.[2] Shiva Thapa is ranked 3rd in the bantamweight category in the AIBA Men's World Ranking. He is the third Indian to clinch gold at the Asian Games.[3] Shiva Thapa is the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the AIBA World Boxing Championships.[4] Thapa has been elected as a member of the International Boxing Association (amateur) Athletes Committee.[5]

Shiva Thapa
Statistics
Real nameShiva Thapa
Weight(s)Bantamweight (54 kg)
Nationality India
Born (1993-12-08) 8 December 1993
Guwahati, Assam, India
Boxing record
Wins by KO1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  India
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2015 DohaBantamweight
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place2013 AmmanBantamweight
Silver medal – second place2017 TashkentLightweight
Silver medal – second place2021 DubaiLight welterweight
Silver medal – second place2022 AmmanLight welterweight
Bronze medal – third place2015 BangkokBantamweight
Bronze medal – third place2019 BangkokLightweight

Early life

Shiva Thapa is the youngest of six children born to an Indian Gorkha father Padam Thapa, a karate instructor in Guwahati. His elder brother Gobind Thapa was an Assam state-level medal winning boxer;[6] Mike Tyson's bouts also inspired him to take the sport seriously.[7] Shiva rose as early as 3 a.m. to balance his training and studies.[8] Padam ensured that the monthly expenditure of ₹30,000 (US$380) was taken care of.[6] Olympic Gold Quest, a not-for-profit foundation to identify and support Indian athletes, decided to support the young boxer as a part of their Vision 2016 initiative.[9] While signing Thapa, Viren Rasquinha, the chief operating officer of Olympic Gold Quest said:

Shiva is an enormous talent. He must be groomed well because he has the talent, the right attitude and the hunger to succeed. OGQ has very high hopes from Shiva and I am confident that he will become one of India's top boxing stars in the near future.[9]

Career

Amateur career

At the 2008 Children Asia International Sports Games that was held in Yakutsk (Russia) Shiva Thapa won a bronze medal in his category.[10] At the same year's Haider Aliyev Cup, he won the gold medal. Owing to this performance, he was chosen to represent India in the 52-kg category at the 2009 Junior World Boxing Championships in Armenia.[11] Incidentally, Thapa was the lone international medalist from the team of seven boxers that travelled to Yerevan.[12] Though Thapa ended up with a bronze medal,[13] the coach expressed his satisfaction at the boxers' performance who returned with their biggest haul of medals from this competition.[14]

At the 2010 Asian Youth Boxing Championships in Tehran, Thapa failed to reach the semifinals in his category.[15] At the Second Youth World Amateur Boxing Championships, Thapa was a part of the Indian team. This competition attracted a large number of boxers because it was the only qualification event for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.[16] Touted to be a strong gold medalist, Thapa lost the finals and ended up with a silver medal. An injured fist during the semifinal bout left him in poor shape before the final bout. After having qualified for the Summer Youth Olympics,[17] the Indian coach suggested Thapa with a 20-day break to recover from his injury.[18] At the Youth Olympics, Thapa won the silver medal in the 54-kg category after losing to a Cuban boxer in the finals.[19]

Qualification to 2012 London Olympics

In 2012 Asian Olympic Qualifiers held in Astana, Kazakhstan, Shiva defeated Syria's Wessam Salamana 18–11 to clinch the gold medal and qualified for 2012 London Olympics in 56 kg category.[1] Thapa is the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics.[20] He, however, lost in the first round of the London Olympics, losing 9–14 to Mexico's Oscar Valdez Fierro in the (56 kg) Bantamweight category.[21]

Appreciation

The Government of Assam rewarded him with ₹100,000 (US$1,300).[22] The Indian Olympic Association awarded him with ₹400,000 (US$5,000) while congratulating him for his silver medal at the Youth Olympics, and government of Sikkim awarded him 500,000 rupees cash.[23]

2013

In July 2013, Shiva became the youngest Indian to win a gold at the Asian Confederation Boxing Championship at Amman, Jordan.[24][25][26][27][28] Shiva Thapa participated in the 2013 World Boxing Championships, which was held at Almaty, Kazakhstan and on his debut Shiva reached the quarterfinals[29][30] of the World Championship. Thapa became one of the first boxers from India to get a World Series of Boxing Contract. Maneesh Bahuguna, the CEO of his managing firm, Anglian Medal Hunt Company was quoted as having said, "Shiva’s outstanding achievements made him an undisputed choice for WSB. At such a young age, he has undeviating focus and love for his sport."[31][32] Shiva Thapa has been ranked 3rd in the bantamweight category in the latest AIBA Men's World Ranking.

In 2013, Thapa was named 'Assamese of the Year'[33] and was also given the ICC Sports Excellence Award.

2014

Shiva Thapa had his first bout under World Series of Boxing USA Knockouts against Ukraine Ottoman's Mykola Butsenko, World Championship Bronze medalist in Miami, Florida. He fought the second bout against Team Germany's Edgar Walth in Frankfurt.[34]

He was featured as one of the new youth leaders in India Today's '2014 Power of the New'.[35] Thapa is a consistent promoter of social causes, having participated in charity walkathons and marathons.[36][37]

He failed to get medals in both Commonwealth Games and Asian Games losing the bout in first round and quarterfinals respectively. Contradiction arise as the chance was not provided for better boxer Balakrishna Vankala of Southern Railways to participate in the Asian Games.

2015

SHIVA Thapa became only 3rd Indian to win a medal at AIBA World Boxing Championships when he won bronze.

2016

Shiva Thapa qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic in the Men's 56 kg event, but failed to move beyond the first round, after he lost 0–3 to the 2012 Gold medalist Robeisy Ramírez from Cuba in an upset result.[38][39]

2017
The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Arjuna Award for the year-2016 to Shri Shiva Thapa for Boxing, in a glittering ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 29 August 2016

Shiva Thapa won silver at 2017 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Tashkent after an injury-forced loss to second seed and local favourite Elnur Abduraimov.[40]

2019

He won gold medal at 2019 Tokyo Olympic test event by defeating Kazakhstan's national champion and Asian bronze-winner Sanatali Toltayev 5-0.

Personal life

He is employed with Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.[41] He is supported by Olympic Gold Quest and Anglian Medal Hunt Company.[42][43][44]

References
  1. 'Shiva Thapa, Sumit Sangwan bag gold medals at Asian Olympic Qualifiers. The Times of India. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012
  2. "New Venture to help athletes". The Hindu.
  3. "Shiva Thapa outpunches local favourite for Asian gold - Times of India". The Times of India.
  4. "AIBA World Boxing Championships 2015: Shiva Thapa gets bronze in a thrilling quarterfinal". 11 October 2015.
  5. "Tokyo Bronze Medallist Lovlina Borgohain elected IBA's Athletes' Committee Chair; Shiva Thapa elected as member". timesnownews. 26 May 2022.
  6. Sheth, Gautam (30 August 2010). "Shiva Thapa: Emerging star of boxing circuit". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  7. Chakravertty, Shreya (13 May 2008). "Tyson the inspiration for Shiva Thapa's golden feat". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  8. Rana, Preetika (18 June 2012). "Meet Shiva, India's Youngest Olympian". The Wall Street Journal.
  9. "Boxing OGQ to support young boxer Shiva Thapa". The Times of India. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  10. "Boxers return with two gold medals at Children of Asia Games". The Hindu. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  11. "Seven-member Indian team for Junior World Boxing Championships". The Hindu. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  12. "Indian junior boxing team leaves for World Championships". The Hindu. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  13. "World Jr. Boxing: India gets three bronze, a silver". The Hindu. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  14. "Coach satisfied with junior team's showing". The Hindu. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  15. Sharma, Nitin (9 March 2010). "Akhil ready to wow home crowd". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  16. "Indian boxers set off for youth meet". The Indian Express. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  17. "Boxers Shiva, Vikas in World Youth Championship finals". The Times of India. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  18. "Vikas, Shiva show promise". The Hindu. 6 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  19. "YOG: Irish boxer Burnett takes Gold in Boys' Light Fly under 48 kg Bout". Channel NewsAsia. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  20. Shiva Thapa youngest Indian boxer to qualify for Olympics. Deccan Herald. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012
  21. "Shiva Thapa knocked out of London Olympics". 28 July 2012.
  22. "Dispur gifts flat to Deka – Sporting fraternity welcomes gesture". The Telegraph. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  23. "Youth Olympic medal winners to get cash rewards". Sify. 28 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  24. "Shiva wins gold at Asian Boxing Championships". NDTV.
  25. "Shiva wins gold at Amman". India Today.
  26. "Shiva strikes gold". The Times of India.
  27. "Shiva wins Gold". The Indian Express.
  28. "Golden Boxer". Midday.
  29. "Shiva Thapa enters World Boxing Championships quarters". The Indian Express.
  30. "Shiva Thapa, Manoj Kumar enter quarters of World Boxing C'ships". Firstpost.
  31. "Indian boxers Shiva, Sumit bag WSB contracts - Times of India". The Times of India.
  32. "Shiva Thapa Gets US Visa for World Series Boxing Debut".
  33. "Olympian boxer Shiva Thapa receives the Assamese of the Year 2012 award from author and columnist Shobha De at Machkhowa in Guwa - The Asian Age".
  34. "Drinks Break - Shiva Thapa loses to Edgar Walth as Team Germany hammer USA Knockouts in Frankfurt". Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  35. "Power of the New: The India of old will yield to the India of now".
  36. "Salwan Marathon attracts huge participation - Times of India". The Times of India.
  37. "Olympians to take part in Salwan Marathon". 20 October 2013.
  38. "Rio Olympics berth sealed, Shiva Thapa flies home to unwind". The Indian Express. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  39. "Rio Olympics 2016: Boxer Shiva Thapa bows out after loss to 2012 gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez". First Post. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  40. "Shiva Thapa settles for silver at Asian Boxing Championships - Times of India". The Times of India.
  41. "ONGC in Boxing".
  42. "New Venture to help Indian athletes".
  43. Sarangi, Y. B. (2 June 2010). "Two of a kind". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  44. Shiva Thapa
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