National Boxing C'ship: Jadumani Singh dominates Pawan Bartwal to clinch maiden gold, services top overall medals tally
New Delhi, Jan 10
Boxing World Cup Finals silver medallist Jadumani Singh displayed a mix of aggression and technical superiority to defeat fellow international and SSCB teammate Pawan Bartwal to clinch his first Senior National crown in men's 50-55kg category while SSCB topped the overall standings with 12 gold medals in the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships with easy wins at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida on Saturday.
This was the first time that the men and women National Championships are being held simultaneously at the same venue and 600 boxers from across the country participated in 10 weight categories each for men and women. SSCB won 9 of them in men and three in women category.
While many star boxers of the country were in action on the final day of competition, all eyes where on the clash between Jadumani and Pawan as both had been winning medals on the international stage last year. But on Saturday, Pawan was no match to Jadumani's guile as the latter won 5:0 to clinch the gold medal.
A few minutes later SSCB's Aditya Pratap (men's 60-65kg) got the better of Abhinash Jamwal of Himachal 3:2 while Ankush (men's 75-80kg) defeated Malsawmtluanga to bag their maiden senior national titles.
In the women's section, SSCB's Preeti (51-54kg) and Pranjal Yadav (60-65kg) and Railway's Priya (57-60kg) and Alfiyan Khan (80+kg) bagged their first-ever senior national gold medals.
Meanwhile, world champion Minakshi established her supremacy on the women's 45-48kg weight category with a 5:0 win over Manju Rani of RSPB while Telangana's two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen packed off Nitu of Haryana by an identical margin in the women's 48-51kg final.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (women's 70-75kg) defeated Sanamacha Chanu Thokchom of Railways to win the gold medal.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud to see our women boxers shining! Minakshi, Nikhat, and Lovlina - all champions winning gold. It's inspiring for young girls across the country. Holding men's and women's championships together is a great step for equality in sports.
SSCB winning 12 golds shows the importance of institutional support. But I hope boxers from other states and units get better facilities too. The competition needs to be more balanced for the sport to grow nationwide.
Following from the US - impressive to see India's boxing depth. 600 participants is massive! That Jadumani vs Pawan match sounded like a real clash of titans. Looking forward to seeing these athletes at international competitions.
So many first-time national champions! Aditya Pratap, Ankush, Preeti, Pranjal... new stars are born. This is exactly what we need - fresh talent coming up through the ranks. The boxing federation should ensure they get exposure tours abroad.
The article mentions "technical superiority" - that's what separates good boxers from champions. India seems to be developing more technically sound athletes rather than just relying on power. Smart approach for long-term success.
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