Asiad 2010 Medal Tally : Suranjoy begins with a 7-2 win

The organizers have smartly not built all the Asian Games venues within the special sub city. Some venues like those for weightlifting and boxing are situated so far that it takes almost two hours to reach there. On a day when India won four bronze medals, the boxing competition began at Foshon, close to an hour and 45 minutes from the main press centre in Guangzhou.

There were not many takers for boxing on Tuesday from even the Indian media, though Suronjoy was on view. But the journey to Foshan was in itself historic. Yet, when one comes close to Foshan, there is a lot more security. This is the hometown of the legendary Bruce Lee whose kung fu exploits are still seen repeatedly on videos.

But once inside the hall, there was no kung fu, only boxers ready for action. With Suranjoy the only Indian on view today, there was glamour. Unlike the other events near Guangzhou where crowds are still not pouring in, Foshan was more eager to see Suranjoy.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist is certainly a big draw these days in the boxing ring. And on Tuesday, the Chinese egged him on against Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee.

Before the bout, Suranjoy had been told by coaches BI Fernandez and GS Sandhu not to go flat out. The Thai boxer was expected to be a surprise package, so Suranjoy had to bide his time. By the end of the first round, Suranjoy had won only one point. But once into the second, he opened up and punched with more purpose to increase the lead to 4-0. In the third round, Chatchai won three points but also lost two. The 7- 2 verdict for India’s “Chotta Tyson” was good enough as he readies for tougher challenges ahead.

“My coaches asked me not to go on the offensive from the start,” the diminutive boxer told MAIL TODAY, sweating profusely. But what pleased the modest boxer, who has now made a name for himself despite the exalted status which Vijender enjoys, was the crowd support.

“Yes, it was nice to see so many people cheering for me,” he said. As Suranjoy had to go for a random dope test, coach Sandhu wanted to escort him out of the hall fast. “He did very well in the first bout. One doesn’t know what to expect in initial contests and I am glad Suranjoy has given India a good start,” said Sandhu.

Medal Tally so far:

Rank - Country - Gold - Silver - Bronze - Total Medals
1 - China - 77 - 28 - 28 - 133
2 - R.O.Korea - 22 - 17 - 27 - 66
3 - Japan - 15 - 34 - 29 - 78
4 - DPR Korea - 3 - 6 - 9 - 18
5 - Chinese Taipei - 3 - 5 - 13 - 21
6 - Hong Kong, China - 3 - 5 - 3 - 11
7 - Kazakhstan - 2 - 5 - 9 - 16
8 - Uzbekistan - 2 - 5 - 6 - 13
9 - India - 1 - 4 - 7 - 12
10 - Malaysia - 1 - 1 - 3 - 5