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Dev, competing in his maiden Olympics, lost his men’s 71kg quarter-final against Mexico’s Marco Verde on Saturday, the bout ending in a 4-1 split verdict in favour of the latter, despite appearing to dominate the contest read more
 "‘Injustice of it all left me with a heavy heart’, Nishant Dev on narrowly missing men’s boxing medal")
Nishant Dev nearly became only the second Indian to win a men's boxing medal at the Olympics. AP
Disappointed at having narrowly missed out on a medal in the Paris Olymipcs, boxer Nishant Dev said his Olympic dream has turned into a “nightmare” and that he is left with “anger and sadness” after the “injustice” that was meted out to him.
Paris Olympics: News, schedule, medals tally and more
Dev, competing in his maiden Olympics, lost his men’s 71kg quarter-final against Mexico’s Marco Verde on Saturday, the bout ending in a 4-1 split verdict in favour of the latter, despite appearing to dominate the contest. A victory would have made the 23-year-old only the second Indian to win an Olympic medal in men’s boxing.
“Nobody truly knows how hard I worked, the countless hours I dedicated to manifesting this dream, and the honesty and truthfulness I poured into my training. Every day was a step toward this goal, every sacrifice a testament to my commitment.
“And in one cruel moment, it was all taken away from me,” Dev shared in an instagram post.
Dev said the loss felt so heavy that he “felt like everything was ripped from me.”
“The injustice of it all left me with a heavy heart and a flood of emotions. Anger, disappointment, and sadness intertwined, creating a storm within me.
“It felt like a dream turned into a nightmare in an instant. Hearing the judges’ scores, it felt as though there was nothing left in my body. The pain was so intense that I felt I just couldn’t take it.”
Read | Nishant loses out on Olympics medal: Indian fans slam scoring system, say boxer is ‘robbed’
Dev, however, vowed to work harder and return smarter.
“I may have missed out on a medal but I have gained a renewed sense of purpose. My journey doesn’t end here; it begins anew. I will train harder, fight smarter, and come back fiercer,” he wrote.
“This is not the end of my Olympic dream – it’s a chapter that will make my eventual triumph even more meaningful.”
India’s boxing campaign ended at the Olympics after Tokyo edition bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) bowed out following a hard-fought quarterfinal loss to China’s Li Qian in the women’s competition in Paris on Sunday.
With PTI inputs
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English (US) ·