Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Two-time Youth world champion Sakshi Chaudhury led the charge for the home side as four more medals were confirmed from the boxing ring at the Peddem Indoor Stadium, here on Monday.
Five Goan boxers have already confirmed medals on Sunday, assuring the hosts of nine medals from the ring. After Goa’s Zamir Roshan got a walkover from Sikkim’s RA Krishna Kalish in the men’s lightweight 51kg quarterfinal, the rest of the three Goan boxers in action on the day proved their might to force their way to the semifinals of their respective weight divisions.
Representing the coastal state, Sakshi opened the day’s proceedings with a rather comfortable victory over lesser-known Isha Thakur of Himachal Pradesh to progress to the women’s 50kg light flyweight category semifinals.
Sakshi dominated the proceedings right from the start with powerful punches and her trademark jabs to force a couple of standing counts on her opponent, who hardly had any respite during the bout that lasted for mere two rounds, in which Sakshi clearly emerged the winner with a RSC decision. Among the men, Gorkha Akash of Goa registered a feisty 5-0 UD win over Andhra Pradesh’s Doni Sandeep in the 63.5 kg light welter weight category while Rajat also recorded an identical Unanimous Decision victory over Maharashtra’s Rahil to make the 71kg light middleweight division last four stages.
Earlier on Sunday, Niharika (60kg), Sanamacha Chanu (75kg), Lokesh (80kg), Sai Ayush (92kg) and Gaurav Chouhan (92+ kg) secured medals for the hosts by registering contrasting wins in their respective weight classes.
