India Women’s Boxing Coach Santiago Nieva Targets History At Los Angeles Games: ‘Beyond A Single Bronze…’

Last Updated:November 28, 2025, 23:43 IST

Santiago Nieva returns as Indian women’s boxing head coach, aiming to surpass past Olympic bronze medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and shape a strong squad for major events.

Santiago Nieva, the newly-appointed head coach of the Indian women’s boxing team, believes the current squad is brimming with potential as he aims to achieve historic success by surpassing the bronze medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Nieva, who previously served as India’s high-performance director from 2017 to 2022, mainly working with the men’s team, has returned in a new role to shape the future of the women’s squad.

“The Indian women’s team is really strong, and it’s crucial to win those Olympic medals we missed in Paris,” Nieva said from Australia. “With the potential within the women’s team and the excellent boxers, I aim to contribute to making history in LA and going beyond a single bronze medal.”

To date, only three Indian boxers have won Olympic medals: Vijender Singh (2008), MC Mary Kom (2012), and Lovlina Borgohain (2020), all of whom secured bronze. In the last edition in Paris, Indian pugilists returned empty-handed.

Nieva has a history of breaking new ground. Under his guidance, Amit Panghal won India’s first and only silver medal in the men’s World Championships, and the country achieved its highest-ever participation at the Tokyo Olympics.

He joins ahead of a demanding 2026 season packed with major events, including the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. One of his first tasks will be addressing the selection policy.

“I need to understand the current model and its theoretical workings. It’s essential to select the best boxers so we don’t miss out on top talent. We also have to consider the practical aspects of the international calendar and ensure decisions are fair and unbiased. There are many factors to take into account.”

The Boxing Federation of India’s current selection policy states that “based on certain circumstances, BFI may choose between selection trials or evaluation.”

“There are different models and competition types that might require different systems. It’s too early for me to speculate. I don’t have a blueprint yet, but addressing this will be a priority before the Commonwealth and Asian Games.”

Nieva, expected to formally begin his tenure in about a month after completing visa formalities, said he does not plan to make immediate sweeping changes given the good performance of the boxers.

Indian women boxers have had a strong year, returning with four medals, including two golds from the World Championships.

“I need to come to India to see how things are going. The women are doing really well, so something is clearly being done right. I have my way of working and previous experience in India, which I believe will be beneficial.

“But I need to take it step by step. Last time I came to India, I spent the first two weeks observing and then implemented changes I thought would bring improvements, but not all at once.”

Nieva, who stepped down as HPD in May 2022 and has since been working with the Australian team, admitted he hasn’t followed the Indian boxers closely enough to fully prepare for the new role, but has kept a reasonable eye on their performances.

“We’ve been at the same competitions, so I’ve seen all the Indian boxers at some point, maybe not in every single fight, but I’ve observed most of them,” he said.

Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More

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