Dingko singh won a
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Dingko Singh
Indian boxer (1979–2021)
Master Chief Petty OfficerNgangom Dingko Singh (1 January 1979 – 10 June 2021)[1] was an Indian boxer who won the gold medal at 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. He was from the North-eastern Indian state of Manipur.[2] He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013.[3][4][5]
Achievements
Ngangom Dingko Singh, commonly known as 'Dingko Singh' was an Indian boxer. He is considered to have been one of the most outstanding boxers India ever produced. He won the King's Cup in Bangkok in 1997 and the Asian Games gold in the 1998 Bangkok Games. He was a service personnel of the Indian Navy.
Early life
He was born on 1 January 1979 in a remote village called Sekta, in the Imphal East District, Manipur to a very poor family. Dingko had to fight back adversities from the beginning of his life, and was brought up in an orphanage.
National Boxing
The trainers at a Special Area Games Scheme initiated by the Sports Authority of India identified the hidden t
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Dingko Singh: Trailblazer who showed the way for India’s boxing stars, dies at 42
“A trainee told me that Dingko is from the orphanage nearby. Dingko would tell me, ‘Sir, maa-baap nahin hain, humko boxing hi aata hai’,” said Ibomcha, breaking down over the phone from Imphal. “When Dingko won the Asian Games gold, there was no electricity in Imphal due to a strike. We lit candles and celebrated the whole night with the Indian flag. Dingko knew only boxing, and the country will always remember him for that.”
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One of eight children, Dingko grew up in Sekta village near Imphal with his elder brother and younger sister after their father died and mother left home. The siblings took up work as farm labourers even as Dingko ended up at the orphanage. That was when he met Imbocha, and within a year, became the sub-junior national champion.
His lightning-fast reaction time and determination left boxing experts mesmerised at first sight. For former India chief coach G S Sandhu, Dingko was a “strong boxer with an unmatched reaction time”. Fellow bantamwei
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'My only ambition was to be on TV like Dingko' - Vijender Singh
Jonathan SelvarajJun 10, 2021, 07:32 AM ET
On the evening of December 18, 1998, people gathered around a black and white TV in Kaluwas village near Bhiwani, Haryana. They were watching a broadcast of the Asian Games, where an Indian boxer was competing in the final of the men's bantamweight division. Also watching was the then 13-year-old Vijender Singh. He was an aspiring young boxer then with modest dreams of a government job. Then he saw Dingko Singh box.
"That was one of the first times I saw a boxing bout on TV. And I saw Dingko Singh win a gold medal. We hadn't won a gold medal in a very long time. But what I remember is what a dhuandhaar (fiery) boxer he was. He was a star. At that time, my only ambition was I need to be on TV like Dingko Singh. He was the star of that Asian Games and he was certainly my inspiration," says Vijender.
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Vijender would eventually go even further, becoming the first Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics, yet he still credits Dingko, who
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