Harpal  Singh Bedi

Hisar: Silver medal winner at the World Championships Manju Rani scored a decisive 5-0 win over Punjab’s Minakshai to enter the 48kg semi-finals in the 5th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships on Monday.

The 21-year-old Manju, who is representing RSCB  outpunched her opponent from Punjab completely reducing the bout to a virtual no contest.

In another  48kg category quarter-finals, Tamil Nadu’s S Kalaivani, blanked Himachal Pradesh’s Jyotika Bisht by a similar margin Assam’s Jamuna Boro, entered the last-4 stage in the 54kg category with a dominating 5-0 win over Gayatri Kasnyal of Uttarakhand. The 2019 World Championships bronze medallist Jamuna was too quick for Gayatri, who often found herself on the wrong foot while attempting to evade Jamuna’s jabs.

In the 52kg category, the 2019 Asian Championships bronze medallist Telangana’s Nikhat Zareen put up an impressive show against Assam’s Manju Basumatary and made her way into the semi-finals with a comfortable 5-0 victory.

In the 54 kg category  RSPB’s Shiksha outperformed the reigning youth world champion Babyrojisana Naorem of Manipur 5-0 to progress into the semis. 

In the 50kg category, Punjab’s Komal continued her fine showing and entered the semis after beating Maharashtra’s Anjali Gupta 5-0.

The gold and silver medallists will earn themselves a place in the national coaching camp. 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.

HSB