Samota is last action hero

Wins Indias first gold in super-heavy weight category in final bout of Games

When Paramjeet Samota was 10,he used to climb a 300-metre high hill as part of a training routine. Samota matched senior boxer Vijender Singh during this grueling climb. Perhaps it was Samotas ability to conquer these inclines as a youngster that held him in good stead on way to Indias first gold in the super heavy-weight category in the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday.

Samota prevailed 5-1 over Trinidad and Tobagos Tariq Abdul Haqq to climb a new high. Haqq was the bigger of the two,but Samota showed a lot of heart to not only hold his own but also land point-winning punches. When Haqq went on the offensive,Samota cocooned himself in a well-guarded defense. Samota went into a 5-0 lead and after that Haqq never found a way back.

As a youngster,I carried extra kilos around my waist. That is why my coach made me run up and down the hill,sometimes up to 25 times a day. Our village is 10 kilometres away from Bhiwani. I had to cycle back to my village. All that exercise and hard work has made me strong, Samota said after the biggest win of his career.

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Like a good number of boxers,Samota was a wild one as a youngster. When he wasnt getting into fights,he would be riding buffaloes. Herding the family livestock was tiring but Samota was up to the task. When whistles and cajoling wouldnt make the buffaloes fall in line,Samota used his brute strength to push the animals in the right direction. This hardy lifestyle,Samota said,gave him his trademark ox-like strength.

His father,worried that Samotas short fuse might land him in serious trouble,packed off his son to Bhiwani. The youngster got hooked to boxing.

Last year,Samota won India a bronze in the Asian Boxing Championship in Zuhai,China,before claiming Indias first-ever gold in Commonwealth Boxing Championship in the super heavy-weight category.

He is now eagerly looking ahead to ending Indias 12-year wait for a gold in boxing at the Asian Games. We have not won a gold in Asian Games since Dingko Singh in 1998, Samota said.

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V Johnson,the last Indian boxer to win a medal (bronze,Melbourne) in super heavy-weight category in Commonwealth Games,heaped praise on Samota.

His footwork is slick and he has a strong defence. Once he builds a lead,he makes sure that he does not lose it. He did exactly that on Wednesday. He will be a medal hope at the Asian Games, Johnson added.

When Samota used to return to Dinaud after his exploits,village elders asked their sons to follow in the footsteps of the boy who was once seen as a bad influence. After Samotas gold on Wednesday,his legend will only grow.