New Delhi, July 3: Boxing great Dingko Singh has tested negative for coronavirus and has returned to his home in Imphal. The Asian Games gold medal winner, who is also suffering from liver cancer, has been hospitalised for over a month in Imphal after testing positive for the deadly virus.

Dingko had tested positive for coronavirus the first time in May and had been admitted to the Regional Institute for Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal for the entirety of June. The 41-year-old tested positive five times before finally testing negative. Boxers Allowed to Resume Training at National Institute of Sport in Patiala Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

"I am more than thrilled. Dingko is like my son," Boxing Federation of India Secretary General Jay Kowli told IANS. "You will always find me in his corner and that has been the case for the past 20 years."

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also tweeted about the development. "Happy to hear that Boxing Icon and Asian Games Gold Medalist Dingko Singh is now #COVID19 negative since his return from Delhi. Thank the doctors and staff who took care of him at RIMS. @KirenRijiju @DrJitendraSingh @PMOIndia," he said in his tweet.

In April, Dingko had been airlifted from Imphal to New Delhi by SpiceJet's air ambulance service for his liver cancer treatment.

A bantamweight boxer in his days in the ring, Dingko Singh won gold at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. He has since been awarded the Arjuna Award and later the Padma Shri. He has been suffering from a relapse of liver cancer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2020 10:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).