Commonwealth Games 2018: Sarita Devi will hope to convert her silver medal in Glasgow to gold.
Name: Sarita Devi
Event: Boxing (60kg)
Commonwealth Games Experience: Silver medallist (60kg) in the 2014 Glasgow edition
Best performance: Gold at 2006 World Championships
Sarita Devi who hails from Manipur is an Indian boxer. She is a national and former world champion in the lightweight class. Sarita was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2009.
She turned a professional boxer in 2000 and went on to represent India at the Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok in the same year where she went on to won a silver medal in her weight class. She won a gold at the 2006 World Championships and a silver at 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasglow.
Just like other sports personalities, Sarita too got involved in a controversy in 2014. She refused to accept her Asian Games bronze medal and simultaneously banned for a year by AIBA. Boxing India president Sandeep Jajodia accepted AIBA’s decision. “There was apprehension that Sarita would be banned for life but BI continuously worked to get relief for Sarita, trying to impress on AIBA that Sarita is disciplined,” said Jajodia.
“The one off incident in Incheon was an emotional outburst. But we have to appreciate that international body works under some rules. We enclosed all apologies in our reply…also requested Government of India to support. They obliged,” said Jajodia.