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Former boxer Dingko Singh, who received gold on the Asian Video games in 1998, died aged 42 on Thursday after a chronic battle with liver most cancers.
Dingko, who had been preventing the illness since 2017, is survived by his spouse Babai Ngangom, a son and a daughter. Throughout his battle with most cancers, Dingko’s well being woes have been compounded by a bout of jaundice and COVID-19 final yr.
The previous bantamweight (54kg) boxer impressed a era of Indian boxers together with his swashbuckling ring craft and flamboyant persona. The Manipuri famous person, who received his maiden nationwide title (sub-junior) as a 10-year-old, was among the many first trendy stars of Indian boxing together with his Asian Video games gold and impressed the likes of six-time world champion MC Mary Kom, amongst others.
“He was a rockstar, a legend, a rage. I bear in mind I used to queue as much as watch him combat in Manipur. He impressed me. He was my hero. It’s a big loss. He has gone too quickly,” Mary Kom informed PTI, recalling the enduring boxer who pale from the scene after most cancers took its toll on his physique.
“Life is so unpredictable,” she mentioned.
“We misplaced a legend,” Olympic-bound boxer Vikas Krishan mentioned, summing up what Dingko means to Indian boxing.
“I am deeply saddened by the demise of Shri Dingko Singh,” Sports activities Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted.
I am deeply saddened by the demise of Shri Dingko Singh. One of many most interesting boxers India has ever produced, Dinko’s gold medal at 1998 Bangkok Asian Video games sparked the Boxing chain response in India. I lengthen my honest condolences to the bereaved household. RIP Dinko�� pic.twitter.com/MCcuMbZOHM
– Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 10, 2021
A fearless competitor within the ring, Dingko beat two Olympic medallists — Sontaya Wongprates of Thailand and Timur Tulyakov of Uzbekistan — en path to the Asian Video games gold medal in Bangkok, which was a outstanding feat for an Indian boxer at the moment.
Sarcastically, he wasn’t the unique decide for the Video games and made the reduce after registering his protest.
Vijender Singh, India’s first Olympic medallist in boxing, tweeted:
My sincerest condolences on this loss Might his life’s journey & wrestle endlessly stay a supply inspiration for the upcoming generations. I pray that the bereaved household finds the power to beat this era of grief & mourning ���� #dinkosingh
– Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) June 10, 2021
Following his 1998 Asiad gold, Dingko received the Arjuna award in the identical yr. In 2013, he was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to the game.
An worker of the Indian Navy, Dingko had taken to teaching at Imphal’s Sports activities Authority of India (SAI) Centre after hanging up his gloves however diseases got here in the way in which of his progress and he was largely confined to his dwelling within the later levels of his life.
He was airlifted to Delhi final yr after it got here to gentle that the COVID-19 lockdown had prevented him from getting essential radiation remedy for his most cancers.
Upon touchdown in Delhi, a bout of jaundice prevented him from getting the remedy. He went again to Imphal in an ambulance and contracted COVID-19 on reaching again dwelling. He spent a month in hospital recovering from the an infection.
“It was not straightforward however I informed myself, ‘ladna hai toh ladna hai (If I’ve to combat, I am going to combat)’. I used to be not ready to surrender, nobody ought to,” he had mentioned in his final interplay with PTI after recovering.
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