Living up to the favourites tag, Indias Bishwamitra Chongtham on Monday displayed some brilliant boxing -- effective defensive technique and graceful footwork -- in the mens 51kg final to clinch a gold medal at the 2021 ASBC Asian Youth Championships in Dubai.
According to information received here, the 2021 World Youth Championships medallist Bishwamitra defeated Uzbekist'n's Kuziboev Ahmadjon by split 4-1 in the summit clash to hand India its first gold in the youth event at the ongoing championships.
Bishwamitra kept his cool throughout the match and hit some precise punches before winning it.
Meanwhile, Vishvanath Suresh went down fighting against the reigning youth world champion Sanzar Tashkenbay of Kazakhstan and finished his campaign with a silver medal in the 48kg category after a defeat by a unanimous decision.
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Later on Monday, Vanshaj (64kg), Jaydeep Rawat (71kg), and Vishal (80kg) will be seen in action in'the men's finals while Nivedita Karki (48kg), Tamanna (50kg), Simran Verma (52kg), Neha (54kg), Preeti (57kg), Preeti Dahiya (60kg), Khushi (63kg), Sneha Kumari (66kg), Khushi (75kg) and Tanishbir Kaur Sandhu (81kg) will fight for gold in t'e women's category.
Five Indian boxers, including one woman, have claimed bronze medals in the youth event after finishing in the semi-finals. Among men, Daksh (67kg), Deepak (75kg), Abhimanyu (92kg), and Aman Singh Bisht (92+kg) bagged bronze medals while Lashu Yadav (70kg) ended with a bronze in'the women's category.
In the last Asian Youth Men & Women Championships, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2019, India had claimed 12 medals, including five gold.
The gold medallists in the youth category will be awarded USD 6,000 while USD 3,000 and USD 1,500 will be given to the silver and bronze medal winners respectively. The championships witnessed the presence of pugilists from strong boxing nations like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan to name a few. It is also the first time that both the age groups-junior and youth-were played together.
Earlier 'n Sunday, India's junior boxers concluded their campaign on a high note at the prestigious continental event, claiming 19 medals, including eight gold, five silver, and six bronze medals. India claimed the third position in the overall junior championships team rankings, after Uzbekistan (22 medals) and Kazakhstan (25 medals).
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Among boys, Rohit Chamoli (48kg) and Bharat Joon (+81kg) emerged as the champions in their respective categories while Vishu Rathee (48kg), Tanu (52kg), Nikita Chand (60kg), Mahi Raghav (63kg), Pranjal Yadav (75kg) and Kirti (+81kg) clinched gold m'dals in the women's section. Mahi Raghav was adjudged the best boxer.
On the other hand, Gaurav Saini (70kg), Muskan (46kg), Aanchal Saini (57kg), Rudrika (70kg), and Sanjana (81kg) claimed silver medals after their losses in the finals. Devika Ghorpade (50kg), Ashish (54kg), Aarzoo (54kg), Anshul (57kg), Ankush (66kg), and Supriya Rawat (66kg) were the Indians who finished with bronze medals.
