NEW DELHI: Fourteen Indian boxers qualified for the finals of their respective weight categories in the third Belt and Road International Youth Boxing Gala being held at Xinjiang, China.
The event is an Under-17, Under-19, and Under-23 international competition.
India has sent a 58-member contingent comprising 20 boys and as many girls in only the U17 category, accompanied by 12 coaches, five support staff and one referee and judge.
Of these, 10 girls and four boys produced strong performances against their opponents from Kazakhstan, Iran, Korea, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and China to assure India of multiple silver medals and a shot at the gold.
Dhruv Kharb (46kg), Falak (48kg), Piyush (50kg), and Udham Singh Raghav (54kg) overcame tough opponents from China, Korea, and Iran to reach the finals.
Aditya (52kg) and Ashish (54kg) fought hard against their opponents from Kazakhstan but bowed out after narrow decisions.
Uday Singh, Devendra Chaudhary, Jaideep Singh Hanjra, and Loven Gulia suffered a similar fate.
Among girls, Laxmi (46kg), Khushi (46kg), Radhamani (60kg), Chandrika (54kg), Jyoti (75kg), and Anushka (+80kg) secured wins against boxers from China and the Philippines, while Chahat (60kg), Himanshi (66kg), Harnoor (66kg), and Anshika (+80kg) triumphed in all-India clashes.
Bhakti (50kg) and Shivani (75kg) lost to their opponents from China.