Harpal Singh Bedi

Hissar: Defending champion Assam’s Pwilao Basumatary and   Asian Championship bronze medallist Jaismine recorded easy victories in the 60kg category of the 5th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships at St Joseph’s International School here on  Friday.

Basumatary showcased a ruthless display of power boxing and nimble-footedness as she thrashed  Karnataka’s Theertha Lakshmi while Haryana’s  Jasmine beat  Chhattisgarh’s Rajbala  5-0.

Jaismine was time and again caught her opponent on the wrong foot, Basumatary went on the attack from the word go, hitting Theertha Lakshmi with powerful jabs before the referee stopped play Gujarat’s Hardeek Kaur Gill (60kg) also put up a flawless display against Ladakh’s Rigzen Tsomo before winning the contest 5-0. 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra pugilists continued their good show in the ongoing championship as Laxmee Mehra outpunched Sikkim’s Sarmila Rai to win her 63kg opening round bout by Referee Stopping the Contest (RSC).

Chandigarh’s Neema was another pugilist who was in top form in the 63kg category, beating Neha Kasnyal of Uttarakhand 4-1.

Shruti Yadav of Madhya Pradesh gave a tactical masterclass against Chandigarh’s Anju in the opening round of 66kg category, winning by a comfortable margin of 5-0. Anju had no answer to Yadav’s jabs and shots aimed at the head, as Day 2 ended on an electrifying note.

The gold and silver medallists will earn themselves a place in the national coaching camp. However, the remaining two names for the camp in each category will be selected on the basis of performances in the selection trials, which will take place right after the Nationals.

Forty-nine bouts were contested on Day 2 of the championship in which  320 pugilists from 36 states/union territories/boards from across the country are taking part. The tournament is being hosted by the Boxing Federation of India association with the Haryana Boxing Sangh. 

HSB