New Delhi, April 9: India’s Govind Sahani, Ananta Chopde and Sumit concluded their impressive run at the 2022 Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament with gold medals in Phuket on Saturday. The trio registered commanding victories against their respective opponents from Thailand, while four other Indian boxers — Monika (48kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Varinder Singh (60kg) and Ashish Kumar (81kg), claimed silver medals after enduring defeats in the finals. Manisha (57kg), Pooja (69kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (75kg) secured bronze medals with their semi-finals finish, as the 15-member Indian contingent ended their campaign with 10 medals. The Indian boxers also bettered the last edition’s medal tally of eight medals — one gold, four silver and three bronze. Sahani handed the country first gold when he outperformed Natthaphon Thuamcharoen with a 5-0 win in the men’s 48kg contest. Chopde and Sumit, too, were quite dominant during their identical wins by unanimous decisions. While Chopde blanked Ritthiamon Saengsawang in the men’s 54kg final, Sumit defeated Peetapat Yeasungnoen in the men’s 75kg category. Meanwhile, playing the first international tournament post their outings in the 2020 Olympic Games, Panghal and the defending champion Ashish suffered contrasting defeats. While the 2019 World Championships silver medallist Panghal tried his all but went down fighting 2-3 against Rogen Ladon of Philippines in a men’s 52kg thriller, Ashish lost to Kazakhstan’s Nurbek Oralbay by 0-5 margin in the men’s 81kg final. Monika (48kg) and Varinder (60kg) lost to Thailand boxers Chutamas Raksat and Khunatip Pidnuch respectively by a similar margin 0-5. Gold medal winners earned USD 2000 while silver and bronze medalists took home USD 1000 and USD 500 respectively as the tournament witnessed thrilling competition with participation of 130 top boxers including 74 male and 56 females, from Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa. Medallists: Gold: Govind Sahani (48kg), Ananta Chopde (54kg) and Sumit (75kg); Silver: Monika (48kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Varinder Singh (60kg) and Ashish Kumar (81kg); Bronze: Manisha (57kg), Pooja (69kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (75kg). (UNI)
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