Olympian Satish Kumar gets hero’s welcome at his apartment in G Noida

With drumbeats reverberating in the air and laurels pouring in, boxer Satish Kumar was given a hero’s welcome at his residential apartment in Greater Noida west on Friday afternoon.

The Apartment Owners’s Association of Arihant Arden organized a felicitation programme for Kumar, who has become India’s first super heavyweight (+91kg) boxer to compete in the Olympics.

“It was an honour for us to host a reception for Kumar, who has made the whole nation proud. On Friday afternoon, residents welcomed him with loud applause and dhol beats to celebrate his performance at the Tokyo Olympics,” said Nishith Chaturvedi, a member of the Apartment Owners’s Association.

Kumar, a native of Pachauta village in Bulandshahr, has been staying in Arihant Arden housing society in Greater Noida West’s Sector 1 for the past five years with his wife and two children. He landed in India on Thursday night. As he entered the housing society on Friday, there was a queue of people waiting to click selfies with him and congratulate him for putting up the incredible fight at the Olympics.

“A felicitation event was held in the club of the society, where residents of the housing complex as well as some of his fans from around the society turned up. A cake-cutting ceremony was also held. All the children were excited to meet Kumar. He gave a motivational speech to all the children and urged them to play a sport all their life, whichever one they like,” said Bharti Jaiswal, another member of the association.

On July 29, Kumar entered the quarter finals after beating Jamaica’s Ricardo Brown but sustained injuries on his brow and chin. On August 1, he faced World and Asian champion Bakhodir Jalolov of Uzbekistan with 13 stitches on his face. Though Kumar lost the bout 0-5, his brave performance was commended by all.

“I did not imagine that I will be showered with so much love after coming back to India. I am touched by the gesture of the residents of Arihant Arden, who gave me such a grand reception. They made me feel that I have won something even though I didn’t bring a medal,” said Kumar, who is currently in his native hometown--Bulandshahr-- to seek his parents’ blessings.

Talking about last Sunday’s match, Kumar, who has been serving the Indian Army as a subedar major since 2008, said, “I was in a dilemma as my wife did not want me to go ahead with the quarter finals because of the stitches on my brow and chin. However on the day of the match, I received a video message from my father and brothers who said in order to make the country proud, I should not back out and should go ahead with the match. Moreover, being from the Indian Army, we have been taught to never quit”.

Kumar now has now set his sights on Paris Olympics, that is scheduled to be held in 2024. “I will look back at my performance at the Tokyo Olympics and learn from the mistakes I made. My rigorous training will continue under my coach’s guidance and I hope I can get a medal for the country in the Paris Olympics 2024,” he said.