Two more women boxers enter world youth finals
GUWAHATI: Indian boxers continued to remain an unstoppable force at the AIBA Women’s Youth World Championships with two more advancing to the final to take the total number to an unprecedented five, here on Saturday.
Nitu (48kg) and Sakshi Chopra (54kg) won their respective semifinals to continue India’s best ever performance at the marquee age group event being held for the first time in the country.
“This has been an exceptionally good performance by all of my boxers. They have not just shown good technique but have also shown the big hearts they have to face fancied opponents,” said India’s Italian coach Rafaelle Bergamasco said after their fights.
Nitu was the first to take the ring, against China’s Yuan Nie. It was a battle of equals at least for the first two rounds with Nie proving quite a handful.
What worked for Nitu was her deft right straights, which connected quite impactfully to make an impression on the judges.
The second round was marred by excessive clinching by both the boxers but the final three minutes more than made up for it as an aggressive exchange of punches had the crowd on its feet.
Nitu will next be up against Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Urakbayeva, who got the better of Ireland’s Caitlin Fryers in a fiercelycontested bout.
Next girl in for India was Sakshi, taking on Japan’s Irie Sena. The nimble-footed Sakshi had little trouble breaking through Sena’s shell guard within a few seconds of the bout’s start.
Sakshi also stood out for her craft, dodging her rival’s feeble attacks with consummate ease. In fact, the pounding became too much for the Japanese, who threw in the towel in the second round to end her misery.
On Friday, Jyoti Gulia (51kg), Shashi Chopra (57kg) and Ankushita Boro (64kg) claimed contrasting victories to enter the summit clashes of their respective weight categories.
However, in the +81kg category, Neha Yadav, who had got direct entry into the semi-finals due to the small size of the draw, ended with a bronze medal after losing her very first bout of the tournament.
This is India’s best ever performance in the event by quite a stretch given that the country has not won a gold medal since the 2011 edition when Sarjubala Devi had finished on top.
In the 2015 edition, India had just one bronze medal to show for. This time though should witness a windfall of sorts.