Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and the seasoned Saweety Boora (81kg) etched their names in history as they were crowned world champions after notching contrasting wins at the marquee tournament in New Delhi on Saturday.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nitu put up a stupendous performance to see off Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altansetseg 5-0 and claim the title for the minimum weight category in front of a packed crowd, with Beijing Olympics bronze medallist and Nitu’s idol Vijender Singh also present.
“I am very happy after winning the gold medal. I fell short in my quest for the gold last year so we worked on the mistakes and won it this time round in front of the home support. Having discussed with my coaches yesterday I had decided to be aggressive since the first round today to get the scores in my favour. I have been working hard for many years and this medal means a lot to me,” said Nitu after her bout.
Saweety made it two out of two for the hosts as she warded off a challenge from two-time medallist China’s Wang Lina.
“I am thrilled after fulfilling my dream of becoming the World Champion. The bout went well and I was able execute our planning perfectly. My performances in the tournament got better as the bouts progressed with my body also responding well. I want to thank the fans for their constant love and support,” said Saweety after the bout.
BFI’s Faux Pas
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) was on Saturday left embarrassed after the wrong national anthem was played during the medal ceremony of Russia’s gold medal winner Anastasia Demurchian at the jam-packed IG Stadium, here.
The Russian contingent later protested against it and the announcer apologised for the goof-up.
Eventually, the correct anthem was played. However, by the time Russians expressed their concern, the stadium was half empty and most of the boxers had left.
Anastasia was standing alone when the correct anthem was played. She was backed by her team and few people present in the stadium, who gave her a standing ovation.
Nikhat and Lovlina Next
India’s quest for two more gold medals will continue on Sunday when the reigning World Champion Nikhat Zareen and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain take to the ring for their respective finals bout.
Nikhat (50kg) will take on the two-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam in a bid for back-to-back World Championships gold medals while Lovlina (75kg) will square off against the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Caitlin Parker of Australia.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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