GANDHINAGAR: After winning his quarterfinal bout at the National Games on Monday, Maharashtra boxer Nikhil Dubey rushed back to dial his long-time Mumbai-based coach Dhananjay Tiwari. Excited to watch him compete in the semifinal bout, Tiwari prepared himself for a bike ride from Mumbai to Gandhinagar, but fate had something else written for the coach.
Tiwary succumbed to a fatal road accident by the time Nikhil won the 75kg semifinal against Services boxer Sumit Kundu. "He met with an accident on the way. It was his dream that somehow, I win my bout today and fight for the gold medal. His name was Dhananjay Tiwary," an emotional Nikhil said after his bout. "I spoke to him yesterday. I told him I have a bout with Sumit (Kundu). He told me he would be coming. He said he knew I had the ability to beat him and win the gold. He said he would come for the bout."
