NEW DELHI: Winning an elusive women's boxing gold will be the main target for the India squad at the Asian Games, with head coach Santiago Nieva drawing confidence from the team's record breaking performance at the Commonwealth Games.
Indian boxers returned from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last month with a record haul of 10 medals, including five golds and a silver won by the women.
However they will face stiff competition from powerhouses Kazakhstan, China and Uzbekistan at the Asian Games.
"We want to have boxers in the final and we want to be on top of the podium, that's our goal. We also know that Asian Games is a very strong competition, Asian countries are also improving a lot," Nieva told PTI during an interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The great MC Mary Kom remains the only Indian woman boxer to win an Asian Games gold, having claimed the 51kg title in 2014.
India did have a men's boxing gold at the 2018 edition, with Amit Panghal winning the 49kg title, but the women's team has not returned to the top step of the podium since Mary Kom's triumph.
At the last edition in Hangzhou, Indian women boxers returned with one silver and three bronze medals, while the women's team had no podium finish at the 2018 edition.
"Last couple of Asian Games we have not won a gold medal, so that's our goal, to get gold medals. We know it's very tough but we have a team who is strong enough to be able to be there," Nieva said.
The Argentina-born Swedish coach believes the current pool of Indian women boxers is the "best" the country has seen and has the potential to deliver against strong opposition.
"The team is doing good, the girls have won in every competition we went to, they have done well winning many gold medals. Against different types of opponents, they've done well in Asia, they've done well in Europe, now in the Commonwealth countries.
"We know we have a strong team, there is no guarantee that you will win a gold every time. We know that at the highest level there are very small margins, but we know that we have a team who can go to any competition and be competitive all the way."
Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Priya Ghanghas (60kg) are the reigning Asian Championships gold medallists.
India's boxers will also have to contend with the Chinese contingent, against whom Indian boxers have struggled in recent times. Preeti and Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain had suffered defeats to boxers from China in the previous edition.
Nieva, however, feels the Chinese are beatable and believes Indian boxers must focus on controlling the bouts rather than allowing opponents to dictate terms.
"Chinese boxers are good, but I also see a lot of times where they don't have control. Chinese boxers are very good, but many times they also lose control. So we can beat them. We have beaten them before, and hopefully we will do it again."
For Nieva, maintaining control in the ring is the foundation for success, particularly when fatigue or an uncomfortable opponent tests a boxer's composure.
"For me, the main thing is our boxers need to be good enough so that they can control whatever situation happens in the ring, and whatever style or different opponent that you have.
"The problem is boxers lose control when they get tired, or face an uncomfortable opponent.
"And when you don't have a good base, you will make more mistakes. My first focus is to avoid all these situations where we are not controlling what's happening in the ring, because then you depend on luck, basically."