Asian games 2026 interview: ‘Ending up number one shows we are on the right track,’ says Santiago Nieva

Asian games 2026 interview: 'Ending up number one demonstrates we are on the right track, ' states Santiago Nieva Indian women's boxing Head coach confident that India's boxers have the level to obtain Olympic qualifications in the World Championships.

Key points

• After five gold and a silver at the Commonwealth Games, women's boxing is on an upswing, with two gold and a silver at the Asian Games.
• NIS Boxing coach Santiago Nieva in Patiala express photo by Harmeet Sodhi.
• For me, the main thing is to control the bout for nine minutes, not only two good rounds and then lose our shape.
• We always want more, and we won two gold medals.

After five gold and a silver at the Commonwealth Games, women's boxing is on an upswing, with two gold and a silver at the Asian Games. The Asian Games haul was their best in the continental tournament, where India topped the medal table in women's boxing as well as the overall boxing pile (three gold and as plenty of bronze medals), edging out powerhouses like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China. Indian women's boxing Head coach Santiago Nieva discussions to The Indian Express concerning the lessons from Japan, the gains and the challenges ahead.

How do you rate this Asian Games campaign?

Obviously, we are super happy. We always want more, and we won two gold medals. Beforehand, there were particularly, highly tough fights. We would end the year as the Asian Championship winner, and the number one in the CWG and Asian Games. Yes, we lost some of our top performers early, but overall we have never achieved results like this before. We have scored wins over stronger countries in Asia, like China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. What was the biggest lesson from Japan?

For me, the main thing is to control the bout for nine minutes, not only two good rounds and then lose our shape. We need to look at how we can achieve this as efficiently as feasible. We have seen clear improvements. A boxer has to try, and have different variations and become a universal boxer. You should be able to handle different styles and types of opponents. If you are winning, you have more options and, if you are down in the score, you have fewer options. You need to growth the pace, box at a higher pace and need to slow it down when necessary as well. All these things sound straightforward in theory, but as you can see, sometimes emotions take over, and you don't produce the best decisions. That's what we aim to teach them. The biggest lesson is that we see that anything is feasible. India ending up number one demonstrates we are on the right track.

In short, asian games 2026 interview: 'Ending up number one shows we are on is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.