The Boxer on the Roof of the World

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Though the Tibet boxing team might be rarely heard of， Sonam Norbu， a national master sportsman from the fi rst Tibet boxing team with a weight of 52 kilograms， has won a gold medal for the 2011 National Youth Fight， a bronze medal for the 2012 National Championship， and another bronze medal for the 2013 National Championship.

The Tibet boxing team is still young today. Asked why he chose to be a boxer， Sonam Norbu said that his story could be traced back thirteen years ago. “At that time， I was a junior high student in Lhasa. Later， I left my school and went home to do herding. My elder brother was a student in a sports school. He asked me whether I would like to go do some boxing classes. I thought doing herding was hard and missed the life on campus， so I resolved to apply to it， though actually， I had no idea about what boxing was，” he answered.

I interviewed Tsewang Gyungdrung， the former coach of the boxing team and got to know that the fi rst boxing team was founded by the Tibet Sports School in 2002. Though a pro javelin thrower， Tsewang Gyungdrung became the coach of the boxing team because he had taken part in some boxing courses as he studied at Shanghai Sports College and had some basic knowledge about boxing. His fi rst class had only four sportsmen， all picked by him as the sports school went to the countryside every May to recruit students. The main standard is that one should have long arms and legs， taking the advantage of body height and then light weight.

The next year， Sangdrol， Sonam Norbu’s elder brother， also a former javelin thrower whose physical condition also fi ts the boxer standard， was recruited into the boxing team. Tsewang Gyungdrung recalled the past scene as he interviewed Sonam Norbu and said， “That day Sonam Norbu came for an interview， I found him good physically and told him to play soccer on the field. He appeared fearless no matter who stood in his way or whether the man was stronger than him or not， so I enrolled him in the team at once.” Later， due to too many uncertainties， most members of the fi rst team quit the course halfway， and only Sonam Norbu and his elder brother Sangdrol made it to the end.

As the other sports programs were under development， the Tibet boxing team did not have good conditions from the very beginning. Since no one on campus had studied boxing before，team members had never seen a boxing ring and even some basic supplies like boxing gloves， which were purchased from the mainland by Tsewang Gyungdrung in the end. An antagonistic sport， boxers make progress by no way but through actual combat， so the two brothers continued to fight each other for four years in Lhasa.

The boxing team did not have an opportunity to participate in a match until 2006. At that time， the two brothers followed the coach to Chengdu， fi rst saw a boxing ring， and fought with Sichuanese people in it.

Then， Sonam Norbu took part in the juvenile group with a weight of 49 kilograms with his brother Sangdrol at 57 kilograms. Their coach recalled， “There were some youngsters of almost the same age as the two brothers， and I found they were pros. They had warming-up exercises that were diff erent from ours， and I knew the two brothers might have become a little nervous then. From the words that Sonam Norbu had said after he got off the ring， I could sense his feeling before the fi ght. He told his brother to be fearless， to just be tougher. I knew he must have been a little timid prior to his fi ght， but he was naturally audacious and managed to overcome his fear on stage. I did not tell him who his opponent was until he fi nished， since actually， he fought against the championship of Sichuan province， and his brother fought against the silver medal winner. Both won. The competition helped the two brothers know what the sport of boxing should be， and their victory in Sichuan greatly improved their enthusiasm and confidence in boxing. Coming back to Lhasa， we were sent to study at Beijing Sport University from 2006 to the end of 2010.”

In the four years of training in Beijing， anyone from any boxing teams around China would say the two brothers had a bright future upon seeing them， and even a boxing expert invited by the Beijing Sports School from the US gave them a thumbs-up and said they were top sportsmen in China. White haired， the American expert was an old man in his sixties. He asked Tsewang in amazement， “You are a track man. How could you coach the kids to be so good？” Tsewang answered in pride， “We have elites everywhere in Tibet. I can bring up anyone like them with my eyes closed！”

In the four years since the two brothers realized a qualitative leap in their boxing skills， they have also experienced much hardship in daily life. Still， they were in their adolescence， the age of the most mischievous， and away from home to study alone in the mainland. Sonam Norbu said in gratefulness， “Mr. Tsewang Gyungdrung has always been there for us. The three of us live in the same dorm. He is more than a coach； he plays the role of a father. He talks to us about life issues and became a role model as we grew up.” Inquired about the most impressive experience in the four years， he said， “That winter in Beijing， I twisted my ankle as I was exercising and was unable to walk. My coach carried me right from the training hall to the dorm in the fi fth fl oor， and then I felt a warm paternal love. He has paid too much for our Tibet boxing team. I am very grateful for all his care and love.”

As a professional athlete， he has to give up a lot of normal living time and keep on grinding his sword for a decade. Sonam Norbu has only three days of Spring Festival leave a year and does his training all other days.“I am so sad if the Tibetan New Year falls on the same day of the Spring Festival，” he says， “as my family is celebrating the New Year while I am sweating and bleeding in the boxing ring. Last year， I didn’t take part in any matches because I hurt my foreleg in the beginning of the year and had to have an operation. Then I spent my recovery time at home. The last time I enjoyed a holiday with my family was as early as four years ago. I used to stay at home two days a year. Now， my leg is going to be recovered soon， and I am getting prepared to intensify my training and take part in the National Championship.

Boxing is a sport in which two sportsmen fight each other with their fists and compete with their physical strength， skills and mental states. The arms they employ to attack and defend are nothing but their two fists with two special gloves， and the area they can attack and defend is only the part above the waist. Boxing is therefore known as “an artistic fight”. Sonam Norbu said that was the reason why he loved boxing.

It is the Spring Festival again， and now athletes like Sonam Norbu are still sweating in their arena and giving up the brilliance of their youth. The fi rst Tibetan boxers now have the sport， which originated from ancient Greece and has developed into an international level on the roof of the world.