Oldest surviving boxing Olympian Sakti Mazumdar dies at 89
Sakti Mazumdar participated in the1952 Olympics in Helsinki. He lost in the second round of the 51kg category.
Former Indian boxer Sakti Mazumdar, who competed at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, died after suffering a heart attack at his home in Ballygunge, Kolkata on Friday. He was pushing 90.
Friday was a sad day for Indian boxing. Dronacharya Award-winning coach and a former instructor OP Bhardwaj died due to age-related issues. He was 82.
Born on November 13, 1931, Mazumdar was a two-time national champion who participated in the flyweight category (51kg) at the Helsinki Games.
In Helsinki, Mazumdar was given a walkover against Nguyen Van Cua of Vietnam in the opening round. But the Indian lost 3-0 to South Korea's Han Soo-ann, a bronze medallist from the 1948 Olympics, in the next round.
Once he retired from boxing, Mazumdar, who had a record number of wins by knockouts during those days dominated by Armymen, took up coaching.
“It’s a great loss to the country’s boxing fraternity,” Asit Banerjee, president of the Bengal Amateur Boxing Federation, said.
“He was the oldest surviving Indian boxing Olympian and had a great contribution in the country’s post-Independence boxing legacy.”