Thokchom Nanao Singh (born 8 January 1991) is an Indian

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

from Khoijuman Maning Leikai village in

Bishnupur district Bishnupur district ( Meitei pronunciation: /ˌbɪʃnʊˈpʊə/) is a district of Manipur state in northeastern India. Origin of name Its name is derived from a Vishnu temple located at Lamangdong. Geography Bishnupur town is the administrat ...

of Manipur. He trains at Pune-based Army Sports Institute and is supported by Olympic Gold Quest, a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

foundation to identify and support Indian athletes.

Early years

Thokchom Nanao Singh was born to Thokchom Tobobi Singh and Keinahanbi Devi in Khoijuman Maning Leikai village ( from Imphal) in

of Manipur. He took interest in boxing since the age of eight. His interest in the sport was spurred on by his friend, a boxer, who once took him to a

boxing ring A boxing ring, often referred to simply as a ring or the squared circle, is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring consists of a square raised platform with a post at each corner. Four ropes are attached to the posts and pulled p ...

. Nanao Singh drew further inspiration from the success of

Dingko Singh Master Chief Petty Officer Ngangom Dingko Singh (1 January 1979 – 10 June 2021) was an Indian boxer who won the gold medal at 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. He was from the North-eastern Indian state of Manipur. He was awarded the Padma Shri ...

, a Manipur boxer who won a gold medal at the

1998 Asian Games The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...

, and

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

. Being the youngest child in their family, his parents wanted him to focus on education instead of sport. When Nanao Singh first put on a pair of boxing gloves, his father got furious and sent him to a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

so that his focus could be redirected to education. Nanao Singh ran away from this school and returned home. After seeing his dedication to boxing, his father introduced him to a local boxing coach who groomed him initially. In 2000, Nanao Singh joined the Pune-based Army Sports Institute. He was the successful outcome of the institute's joint collaboration with the

Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for the development of sports in India. SAI has 2 Sports Academic institution ...

whose aim was to win international medals for India.

Amateur career

Nanao Singh started out boxing in India by winning the sub-junior national championships consecutively in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In the years 2007 and 2008, he was the National Junior Champion. Nanao Singh represented India in the 48-kg category at the 2007 Commonwealth Boxing Championships in Liverpool. He won a silver medal at this championship despite being a junior-level player. Based on this performance, the Indian national coach predicted Nanao Singh's success at the

2008 Commonwealth Youth Games The 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games (Hindi: 2008 कॉमनवेल्थ यूथ गेम्स), officially known as the III Commonwealth Youth Games, and commonly known as Pune 2008, a regional sporting event that was held from 12 to 18 O ...

. As per his coach's expectations, he won the gold medal at the Youth Games. A few weeks after this victory, Nanao Singh won the gold medal – the lone medalist for India – at the inaugural AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships that was held in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

, Mexico. In 2008, he also won the gold medal at the Juvenile Olympic Games that were held in Cuba. At the 2009 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships, he narrowly missed the gold medal in his category. The Indian coach was happy with the overall performance of the boxers and predicted a bright future for Nanao Singh. Following this win, he was ranked fifth with a tally of 1400 points. At the 2009

AIBA World Boxing Championships The IBA World Boxing Championships, and the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships (previously known as AIBA), are biennial amateur boxing competitions organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is the sport governing body. ...

, he was seeded second in the 48-kg category. However, Nanao Singh faltered in the second round itself where he lost by a single point. Owing to this poor result, he dropped three places to eighth in the light flyweight ranking. Towards the end of 2009, Nanao Singh represented Team Asia at the season-ending President's Cup, the only AIBA event. At the 2010 season-opening Super Cup Boxing, Nanao Singh won the title in the 48-kg category. In the same year, the Asian Boxing Confederation organized an invitational prize event that was called as the Champion of Champions. Along with three other Indian boxers –

Vijender Singh Vijender Singh Beniwal (born 29 October 1985) is an Indian professional boxer and politician. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He also won bronze medals ...

, Dinesh Kumar and Akhil Kumar – Nanao Singh represented his country in the two-day championship; he lost in the opening round itself. For the Commonwealth Boxing Championships, Nanao Singh failed to qualify because he had lost out to another boxer in the trials. In January 2010, Nanao Singh injured his hand and this put him out of boxing. Due to this injury, he was unable to participate in the Indian National Championships. In June 2010, he underwent a surgery for his fractured arm. Samsung chose a list of 10 Indian sports-persons as a part of Sports Ratna, a scholarship program with an aim to support players for the

2010 Asian Games The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...

. Nanao Singh was one among this list of four boxers, four shooters, and two wrestlers. Olympic Gold Quest, a

foundation to identify and support Indian athletes, chose him because of his talent and bright future.

References

External links

Nanao Singh Thokchom
at the

International Boxing Association The International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), is an independent sport organization that sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches and awards world and subordinate cha ...

Nanao Singh Thokchom
at Olympic Gold Quest {{DEFAULTSORT:Thokchom, Nanao Singh Indian male boxers 1991 births Living people Light-flyweight boxers Boxers from Manipur People from Bishnupur district