A L Lakra of Jamshedpur Qualifies for Beijing Olympics 2008
~Trainee of Tata steel Boxing Training Centre~
Jamshedpur, October 31, 2007

Anthresh Lalit Lakra of Tata Steel Boxing Training Centre has qualified in Boxing for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. A dedicated boxer who has been undergoing training in boxing since 1994 has now taken Tata Steel and Jamshedpur on the Global map of sports. His commitment to boxing and his sheer determination to reach new levels has made this achievement possible.

Anthresh has represented the state in many boxing championships. He has also won the Bihar State Boxing Championship under Senior Fly weight held in 2000. Not only has he won laurels at the state level but has also participated and won medals in National Boxing Championships. To name a few of his achievements, he has been the winner in the following - 13th Sub Jr. National Boxing Championship held in Bhillai in 97, All India Boxing Championship organized by Karnataka Amateur Boxing Association in January 2000 and Olympic Day Boxing in Kolkata in 1997.

A L Lakra has received training under Sri. E Lakra, who happens to be his father. This able coach is with Tata Steel Boxing Training Centre and is also the Chief Coach of Jharkhand State Boxing Team. The other well known players who have trained under him are

- Diwakar Prasad who represented India in Sydney Olympics,
- Ms. Aruna Misra who was the World Boxing Gold Medalist in 2005 and had also won the Gold medal in the Asian Boxing Championship in Hissar in 2004,
- Birju Shah, winner of Bronze medal in the Asian Games in 1994 and a Bronze medal winner in Commonwealth Games in the same year
- Udai Soren- National Gold Medalist and was also declared as Best Boxer
- Saimon Francis and Deva Hansda - Gold Medalist in the National Championship

A L Lakra qualifying for the Beijing Olympics scheduled to be held in 2008 is an achievement to acknowledge by Tata Steel in its Centenary Year.

About Tata Steel

Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel today is the world's sixth largest steel producer with geographic footprints in India, South East Asia, UK and Europe. With the recent acquisition of Corus Limited, the combined enterprise has a crude steel capacity of 25.6 million tonnes with over 84,000 employees across four continents.

Apart from being a global entity, sports has always been a priority within the corporate philosophy of Tata Steel. It is part of this very same commitment that Tata Steel set up the Tata Steel Sports Foundation. It was to inculcate among the young men and women of India the sporting spirit, the zeal to excel, to win, and above all the discipline and dedication that brings out the winner in the individual. The Tata Football Academy, conceived in 1983 and inaugurated in 1987, is but one intrinsic component of the Tata Ideal manifested in reality.