Qamar exults after edging Langley in the 48kg final bout at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
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As 14 Indian boxers get ready to compete in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this week, Mohammed Ali Qamar — the first pugilist from the country to win a gold medal in the quadrennial event at Manchester 24 years ago — looks back at his historic feat with pride.
Qamar was the surprise package of the 2002 edition. “Our team had big names, including 1998 Asian Games gold medallist (the late) Dingko Singh and Jitender Kumar. When Dingko lost early, and with limited means of communication to stay in touch, my family took it for granted that I must have lost as well. Later, they were delighted,” Qamar told The Hindu.
“Nowadays our boxers are getting so much support and even camping in Ireland before the CWG. But we just trained in Patiala. Our foreign coach, Peter Stoyanov of Bulgaria, made us train at 11.30 at night so that we got adjusted to the UK time zone before landing in Manchester five-six days prior to the Games. At the camp, there was just one physio for boxing, athletics and weightlifting, and one or two masseurs.”
The 46-year-old from Kolkata fondly remembered his 48kg final bout, in which he rallied to beat the host nation’s Darren Langley 27-25. “There used to be running scores in those days, but they weren’t shown consistently. After the penultimate round, a Malaysian coach watched the scores on TV and informed our fellow boxers in the stands that I was trailing by five points. They relayed it to our ringside coaches. I went all-out and won the third round.
“In the final, I used a trick I had learnt from the Cubans. I lifted my hand every time I landed a punch in order to convince the judges! Winning the gold was a special moment.”
An Arjuna and Dronacharya awardee, Qamar, a former head coach of the Indian women’s team, expects good things from Glasgow. “Most of our women boxers, including Lovlina Borgohain and Jaismine Lamboria, are experienced. They should do well. Some of our men, such as Sachin Siwach and Narender Berwal, also have proven track records,” said Qamar.
Published – July 21, 2026 07:32 pm IST
