PANJIM: Two-time Youth world champion Sakshi Chaudhary led the charge for the home side as four more medals were confirmed from the boxing ring at the Peddem Indoor Stadium, here on Monday.
Five Goan boxers have already confirmed medals on Sunday, assuring the hosts of nine medals from the ring. After Goa’s ZamirRoshan got a walkover from Sikkim’s RA Krishna Kalish in the men’s lightweight 51kg quarterfinal, the rest of the three Goan boxers in action on the day proved their might to force their way to the semi-finals of their respective weight divisions.
Representing the coastal State, Sakshi opened the day’s proceedings with a rather comfortable victory over lesser-known Isha Thakur of Himachal Pradesh, to progress into the women’s 50kg light flyweight category semi-finals.
Sakshi dominated the proceedings right from the start with powerful punches and her trademark jabs to force a couple of standing counts on her opponent, who hardly had any respite during the bout that lasted for mere two rounds, as she knocked out her opponent.
Among the men, Gorkha Akash of Goa registered a feisty 5-0 win over Andhra Pradesh’s Doni Sandeep in the 63.5 kg light welter weight category, while Rajat also recorded an identical victory over Maharashtra’s Rahil to make the 71kg light middleweight division last four stages.
Earlier on Sunday, Niharika Gonella (60kg), Sanamacha Chanu (75kg), Lokesh (80kg), Sai Ayush (92kg) and Gaurav Chouhan (92+ kg) secured medals for the hosts by registering contrasting wins in their respective weight classes.
Lenny D Gama, who is currently the chairman of the Technical and Rules Commission of the Boxing Federation of India said, “We worked very hard for the last four months. Our boxers practiced at the Army Sports Institute, Pune, for one-and-a-half months. On two occasions they went to the Jindal Steel Works Sports Association.”
“They practiced under the watchful eyes of John Walliburton, the English coach, who is now appointed as the National Sub-junior coach. We used everything possible for the boxers yet there was criticism for the boxers. We used physiotherapist, psychologists etc to get good results and it is paying off. We expect at least three gold medals this time. The fourth will be a bonus,” he said.