New women’s boxing coach Nieva aims for more medals at LA Olympics
Newly-appointed Indian women’s boxing head coach Santiago Nieva believes the current squad is brimming with potential, as he sets sights on creating history by going “beyond a bronze medal” at the Los Angles Olympics 2028.
Nieva, who earlier served as India’s high-performance director (HPD) from 2017 to 2022 and worked predominantly with the men’s team, returns to the country in a new capacity, to shape the future of the women’s squad.
“The Indian women’s team is really strong and I think it’s important to win those Olympic medals that weren’t possible to secure in Paris,” Nieva told PTI from Australia.
“So, I thought that with the potential there is with the women’s team and all those excellent boxers, I would like to contribute there so that we can make history in LA and go beyond a single bronze medal.”
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So far, only three Indian boxers have won Olympic medals — Vijender Singh (2008), MC Mary Kom (2012) and Lovlina Borgohain (2020) — and all of them have been bronze. In the last edition at Paris, Indian pugilists returned empty-handed.
Nieva is no stranger to breaking new ground. Under his guidance, Amit Panghal won India’s first and only silver medal in the men’s World Championships, while the country also 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 the first things on his agenda will be “tackling” the selection policy.
“I need to see what model they’re using and how it works in theory. The important thing is that we select the best boxers so that we don’t miss out on the best boxers.
“Then you have to see what is practical with all the international calendar going on. You have to see what is considered fair among the boxers or the community and decisions should not be biased.”
The Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) current selection policy states that ‘based on certain circumstances, BFI may choose between selection trials or evaluation’. “There are different models and there are different types of competitions where you might use different systems. But it’s way too early for me to speculate. I have no blueprint at the moment. I’m sure that will be one of the first things that we need to tackle before the Commonwealth and Asian Games,” Nieva said.
Nieva, who is expected to formally begin his tenure in about a month’s time after completing visa formalities, said he does not intend to make sweeping changes right away given the good run of the boxers. Indian women boxers have enjoyed a strong run this year, returning with four medals, including two gold from the World Championships.
“I need to come to India to see how things are going. I know that the women are doing really well. So, obviously something is being done right. Of course I have my way of working, and I have my previous experience in India. A lot of that I’m sure can be used.
“But I need to come there and take it step by step. I did that last time I came to India as well. The first two weeks I just observed and saw how things were going and then I implemented some changes which I thought could bring improvements. But not everything 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 have been at the same competitions. So obviously, I have seen all of the Indian boxers. Maybe not in every single fight, but at some point I have seen all or most of them,” he said.
Published on Nov 28, 2025