Harpal Singh Bedi
Putting up a gutsy display,Nikhat Zareen and Nitu overwhelmed their rivals to move into the semi-finals and confirmed two more medals for India at the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday.
With Nikhat and Nitu entering semi-finals, India are now assured of three medals at the Europe’s oldest international boxing tournament. Earlier on Tuesday, Nandini (+81kg) confirmed the first medal for the country at the on-going championships,
Nikhat thrashed England’s Charley Davision by unanimous 5-0 verdict in the 52kg category, while Nitu, too, pulled off an equally impressive victory by a similar margin against Italy’s Roberta Bonatti in the 48kg.
The 25-year-old Telangana boxer Nikhat, who won gold medal in the 2019 edition, showcased tremendous skills in the defence as well as attack and dominated the English boxer in a busy bout.
She maintained her aggressive approach throughout the match and denied opponent any chance of scoring before securing a convincing win.
On the other hand, Nitu, who hails from Haryana, used her longer reach well as she looked in complete command in all three rounds against the Italian opponent.
Meanwhile Sumit and Anamika’s challenge ended after suffering defeats in their respective bouts .
Anamika lost to Algerian boxer Roumaysa Boualem 4-1 in the women’s 50kg quarter-final, while Sumit lost to Ukraine’s Oleksander Khyzhniak by unanimous margin in the men’s 75kg second-round match.