Women Boxers In India: With This Ring
<cite>With This Ring</cite> is an independent documentary film by Ameesha Joshi and Anna Sarkissian. Since 2006, they’ve been tracking the Indian Women’s National Boxing Team, who are some of the best boxers in the world.
Archive of November, 2008
Written by
anna
November 30, 2008
Mary Kom has done it again. This 46 kg boxer from India has won her fourth world championship in Ningbo, China.
When we met up with her in south India last July, she was out of shape and hurting; she was still recovering from giving birth to two boys. Five months later, she has a new world title under her belt. She beat Steluta Duta of Romania 7 to 1 in the final.
She dedicated her prize to her babies after the bout, saying, “Mom is bringing home gold.” According to an official from the Amateur International Boxing Association, she now has the world record for most gold medals in all of amateur boxing.
Upon returning home to India, Mary Kom and Sarita Devi met with India’s Sports Minister MS Gill (see image below). He promised that her achievements would not go unnoticed. According to an article in The Times of India, Gill asked his officials to get a copy of an action shot of Mary to put in his cabinet gallery. Gill is quoted as saying that, “Boxing is not exactly an Indian sport but I’m impressed that girls are coming forward despite gender difference and other problems.” He also promised to improve the facilities at their training camp in Hisar, Haryana, where we spent the summer with the team. All this attention is a welcome change, I’m sure.
Photo courtesy of The Times of India
And now some photos from the finals days…
A young boy watches the final bouts on Nov 29, 2008. Every point the Chinese boxers scored whipped the audience into a frenzy. But they were very dignified and courteous even when they didn’t win. They still cheered and applauded other countries, which is certainly more than can be said for certain other teams who booed, heckled the referees, spat on the ground, and made all kinds of rude gestures. They weren’t fazed by our camera at all; if anything, they became even more aggressive when they were being filmed. China emerged as the top team at the competition with 11 medals. The Indian team was fourth overall.
Ameesha and the Chinese boxers. They’re incredibly friendly and they love taking pictures.
These women were cheerleaders from DPR Korea.
Kalpana (centre) and Head Coach Mr. Kumar (right) watch one of the bouts on a closed circuit television. Kalpana has a very typical Indian braid, while many of the other boxers cut their hair short because it’s easier to manage under the protective headgear.
Chhoto Loura (left) and Sarita Devi (in the bluejacket) chat with a coach from the American team while awaiting the medal ceremony. They each won a bronze medal at the competition. Usha (not pictured) took home the silver in the 57 kg category.
Comment (1)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 27, 2008
China has been a blur. There are only two days left in the 5th World Women’s Boxing Competition. Sadly, Emily is not here with us. But she is dearly missed. The Indian team is on track to win a few medals; Chhoto Loura, Mary Kom, Sarita Devi and N. Usha are all in the semi-finals which take place tomorrow.
Since there are only seven boxers here, we’re able to spend a lot of time with them one-on-one. We really enjoy getting to know each of them. In the past, the coaches were hesitant to give us access to the athletes. After building a relationship with them for the past two years, we have finally been accepted as part of the team. It took a long time for them to understand that we really wanted to focus only on them and share their stories with the world. After coming to India twice, meeting them in Ontario, and now following them to China, they realize that we are in this for the long haul.
Read the rest of this entry »
Comments(3)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 26, 2008
It’s already day five of the competition and the bouts are heating up. There are five Indian boxers still in the game, and they are all fighting today. The head coach is cautiously optimistic that they will win. But you never really know. Yesterday, two former champions (from other countries) were nearly dethroned in preliminary rounds. Anything could happen.
Even though the championship is underway, the team still trains twice a day in their hotel. They gather in the narrow space near the elevator on the 9th floor for punching and shadowboxing. They also run up and down the halls. The housekeeping staff tried to manœuver their cart through the clump without much success. They looked frazzled.
Read the rest of this entry »
Comments(4)
Category : Uncategorized
Written by
anna
November 23, 2008
The 5th World Women’s Boxing competition is officially underway in China!
Ameesha and I are here in Ningbo, China, with the Indian Women’s National Boxing Team as they compete in this world championship. To jog your memory, the team won an impressive eight medals (out of 13 categories) at the last competition in Delhi in 2006 and became the best boxing team in the world. All eyes are on them.
This time, they have seven boxers participating. Below is a shot of the team outside the arena in Ningbo. Two reigning world champions, Mary Kom (back row, third from left) and Sarita Devi (on Mary’s right) are here to defend their titles. Usha (back row, first from left) won a silver medal two years ago and is hoping to win again. The four other medalists from the last competition are missing in action (due to injuries, having children, poor performance, etc.).
The opening ceremonies on Nov. 22, 2008 featured half a dozen Chinese dance troups performing everything from Latin dances (see the women in blue) to traditional yoyo presentations.
Three-time world champion Mary Kom is back in the ring after taking two years off to have twin boys. During her first fight of the competition, she reaffirmed her dominance. She won easily: 24 to 1.
The competition features over 200 competitors from 43 countries and continues until Nov. 29.
Leave a comment
Category : Uncategorized
