Amit, Nikhat enter Strandja Memorial finals

New Delhi, February 18 

Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) and former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) were among the four Indian boxers who entered the finals of the 70th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Monday.

Panghal, the lone Indian left in the fray in the men’s draw, defeated Morocco’s Said Mortaji in a split 3-2 verdict to set up the title clash with Kazakhstan’s Temirtas Zhussupov. 

Zhussupov edged past Argentina’s Jose Leandro Blanc in his semifinal clash.

Nikhat, a two-time national medallist, defeated Poland’s Sandra Drabik 3-2 in an intense see-saw battle. The other women who made it to the finals were Manju Rani (48kg) and Meena Kumari Devi (54kg). While Manju got the better of Bulgaria’s Emi-Mari Todorova, Meena beat Russia’s Ekaterina Sycheva. 

Meena had won a bronze medal at the previous edition of the tournament. 

However, Pwilao Basumatari (64kg), Neeraj (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) settled for bronze medals after losing their semifinal bouts.  While Pwilao lost to Italy’s Valentina Alberti, Neeraj was beaten by Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson. Lovlina, a World Championships bronze medallist, was defeated by Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen. 

India had won 11 medals, including two gold, at the 2018 edition. It was the country’s best ever performance at the tournament, which marks the beginning of the European boxing calendar. — PTI