New Delhi: Indian boxer Nitu Ghanghas handed her Mongolian opponent Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg a defeat in the 48 kg (minimum weight) category final of the Women's World Boxing Championships to win her maiden gold medal.
She had dominated the entire tournament and was expected to come good in the summit clash where she came out on top by a unanimous 5-0 decision. While she won her first three matches in this edition of the World Championships by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC), she won the semifinal bout on a split decision which went 5-2 in her favour. The 2022 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist had beat Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan in her semifinal contest.
Nitu Ghanghas was leading all the way in the final
While the Indian pugilist was leading 3-2 after the second round, both fighters were given a yellow in the third and the final round and a point deducted of the Mongolian fighter after which the final result showed that the Indian fighter was seen as the better boxer in the bout by all the five referees. This was the 11th gold medal for India in the history of the event.
India will have one more finalist Saweety Boora competing later in the evening in the 81 kg category while two more fighters- Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain- will take part in the gold medal bout on Sunday (March 26). The Indian contingent would be hoping that all three of them go on to clinch gold medals to make this a memorable World Championships especially as it is happening in home at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in the National Capitals.