Youth Asian champions Muskan, Tamanna and two other Indian pugilists posted dominating victories to reach semi-final at the IBA Youth Men’s and Women’s World Boxing Championships 2022 in La Nucia, Spain.
The 2022 Youth Asian Championships silver medallist Kirti (+81kg) and Devika Ghorpade (52kg) were the other two boxers to confirm medals by securing their spots in the last-4 stage. With addition of four more medals, India’s total medal count now climbs to 11—same as the last edition, held in Poland.
Tamanna began the day for India on an aggressive note as she outperformed Japan’s Juni Tonegawa by unanimous decision in the women’s 50kg quarter-final. Devika also notched up an easy 5-0 win against the German boxer Asya Ari.
Muskan (75kg) and Kirti proved too strong for their respective opponents—Mongolia’s ZyeinyepAzimbai and Livia Botica of Romania—as they were declared winners by the Referee Stops the Contest verdict within the first three minutes of the bouts.
Meanwhile, Preeti Dahiya (57kg), Rhythm (+92) and Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (51kg) made exit after conceding losses in their respective quarter-finals.
Eight Indian female boxers, including Muskan, Tamanna, Devika, Kirti, Kunjarani Devi Thongam (60kg), Bhawna Sharma (48kg), Ravina (63kg) and Lashu Yadav (70kg), will battle it out in the semi-finals late on Wednesday night. Vanshaj (63.5kg), Vishwanath Suresh (48kg) and Ashish (54kg) will lead India’s charge in the men’s semi-finals at the prestigious event, which has been witnessing the participation of close to 600 boxers from 73 countries.
Finals will be played on Friday and Saturday.
