World Boxing Championship: Jaismine, Nupur enter finals as India assured of four medals
Jaismine Lamboria and Nupur Sheoran stormed into the finals, while Minakshi confirmed India’s fourth medal at the ongoing World Boxing Championships on Friday. However, the men’s campaign ended on a disappointing note.
Jaismine Lamboria in action during her match
NEW DELHI: Jaismine Lamboria and Nupur Sheoran stormed into the finals, while Minakshi confirmed India’s fourth medal at the ongoing World Boxing Championships on Friday. However, the men’s campaign ended on a disappointing note, with the 10-member squad returning without a medal for the first time in 12 years.
Jaismine, a World Cup gold medallist, was at her clinical best in the 57kg semifinal, outclassing Venezuela’s Omailyn Alcala 5-0. Using her long reach and sharp jabs, the 22-year-old controlled the bout from distance and never allowed her opponent to settle. She will now face Paris Olympics silver medallist Julia Szeremeta in the final.
In the 80+kg category, Nupur Sheoran — granddaughter of legendary heavyweight Hawa Singh — produced a dominant performance to defeat Turkey’s Seyma Duztas by an identical 5-0 margin. It was a repeat of July’s World Cup semifinal, where Nupur had also prevailed by using her superior height and reach to frustrate her rival. She landed accurate punches while nullifying Duztas’ repeated clinching attempts.
Earlier, Minakshi ensured at least a bronze in the non-Olympic 48kg division by outclassing U-19 world champion Alice Pumphrey of England in the quarterfinal. Opting to box on the counter, she used her reach effectively to score with crisp straights and will now meet Mongolia’s 2023 silver medallist Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg in the semifinals.
India already have four assured medals in the women’s section through Jaismine, Nupur, Minakshi and Pooja Rani (80kg), underlining the depth of the women’s squad.
The men’s challenge, however, ended with Jadumani Singh Mandengbam’s 0-4 quarter-final defeat to reigning world champion Sanzhar Tashkenbay of Kazakhstan in the 50kg category. Jadumani fought bravely, pressing forward with aggression and connecting sharp right hooks, but Tashkenbay’s slick defence and experience proved decisive. The Manipuri was also docked a point for excessive holding in the second round, which swung the contest in the Kazakh’s favour.
Apart from Jadumani, only Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) managed to reach the last eight, with the rest exiting in the early rounds. It marked a stark contrast from India’s campaign in Tashkent last year, where the men’s team returned with three bronze medals.
