Jakarta: India continued its dominant display at the Asian U-19 and U-23 Boxing Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday as eight boxers secured places in the finals of their respective U-23 divisions. In addition to the final berths, the national contingent locked in seven bronze medals following competitive semifinal finishes. The stellar performance highlights the formidable depth and rising prowess of the country’s youth squads on the continental stage.
The women’s U-23 contingent led the charge with five athletes advancing to the gold medal bouts through highly dominant performances. In the 54kg category, Nisha outclassed South Korea’s Hyeju Lee to force a Referee Stops Contest verdict in the opening round, a feat mirrored by Nikita Chand in her 60kg bout against Japan’s Sarii Kokufu. Kajal also earned an early RSC victory in the second round over Kyrgyzstan’s Gulzina Melsvek in the 65kg division. In the heavier weight brackets, Muskan recorded a unanimous 5:0 victory against Uzbekistan’s Toirova Oysha in the 75kg category, while Priyanka mirrored the 5:0 clean sweep against Kazakhstan’s Panar Seiitkhankyzy in the over-80kg division.
The men’s U-23 category saw three Indian boxers punch their tickets to the final round. Vishvanath Suresh put on a masterful display in the 50kg class, outclassing his opponent from the Philippines with a 5:0 unanimous decision. Ganga booked his place in the 55kg final by edging past his Japanese rival in a tense 3:2 split decision, while Vanshaj outmanoeuvred his opponent from Kyrgyzstan to seal a convincing 4:1 win in the 65kg division. Though falling short of the finals, Tanu, Prachi, Shivani, and Naina secured bronze medals in the women’s categories, while Hitesh, Neeraj, and Ishan Kataria claimed bronze in the men’s divisions. The multi-nation tournament is scheduled to run in Jakarta until July 16.
