Reigning Asian Junior champions Nisha (52kg) and Akansha (70kg) put up a solid show to confirm medals along with six other Indian pugilists on the seventh day of the IBA Junior World Boxing Championships 2023 in Yerevan, Armenia.
Indian girls once again led the proceedings with their dominant show as all five boxers in action won their respective matches to enter the semis. Akansha (70kg) began the day on an aggressive note before her opponent Kurbonboeva Rayhona of Uzbekistan unsettled the Indian pugilist with her counterattack. However, Akansha ultimately won 4-1 on split decision verdict.
Nisha (52kg), on the other hand, proved too strong for Grace Conway of Ireland as she was declared the winner by a unanimous 5-0 decision. Shrushti recorded a comfortable win in 63kg after the referee stopped the contest in round two against Mariia Kazaova of Russia.
Kritika (75kg) put up an equally dominant show and didn’t allow her opponent Melendez Sanchez of Mexico to settle down before winning the bout by referee stopping the contest in round one.
Vini (57kg) entered the semis after the opponent Nunez Naiomi of Trinidad and Tobago gave her a walkover.
Meanwhile, it was a mixed day in the boys’ section for the country as three of the five competing boxers made it to the final four. Hemant Sangwan (80+kg) and Sikandar (48kg) outperformed their opponents Bachevvski Roselin of Bulgaria and Urmanov Ramzidin of Kyrgyzstan respectively to win the bout with an identical 5-0 decision.
In the 75kg quarterfinals, Sahil had to work hard against Ruslan Esanov of Uzbekistan, but the Indian grabbed a 3-2 split decision win, showcasing impressive quick movements and better decision-making.
M. Kabiraj Singh (63kg) and Rahul Kundu (70kg) suffered defeats in the quarterfinals.
With the addition of eight more medals, India’s total medal count now stands at 17 as Megha (80kg) had already confirmed the medal after getting bye in the initial two rounds.
In all, 17 Indian boxers, including 12 girls will be in action in the semifinals.
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