Preeti Pawar, Priya &Arundhati storm into finals

NEW DELHI: India’s bantamweight star Preeti Pawar produced a dominant performance to defeat Aeji Im and book her place in the 54kg final at the Asian Boxing Championships on Monday.
Preeti was joined in the title bouts by Priya and Arundhati Choudhary, as India’s women boxers continued their impressive run in Ulaanbaatar.
In the 54kg semifinal, Preeti, a gold medallist at the World Boxing Cup Finals, delivered a composed and clinical display, dominating all three rounds against Im to register a unanimous 5-0 victory. She will now face Huang Hsiao-wen, a three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, in a high-profile gold medal clash.
In the 60kg category, Priya showcased complete control to outclass Mongolia’s Namuun Monkhor with a 5-0 unanimous decision, sealing her place in the final where she will meet North Korea’s Un Gyong Won.
Arundhati Choudhary also impressed in the 70kg division, registering a 4-1 win over Uzbekistan’s OyshaToirova to advance to the summit clash. She is set to take on Kazakhstan’s Bakyt Seidish in the final.
However, it was a mixed day for the Indian contingent in other categories. In the 65kg semifinal, Ankushita Boro suffered a 0-3 defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen. The bout was briefly halted due to a power outage after the opening round, with the result eventually decided on points.
In the 51kg category, Nikhat Zareen went down 0-5 to China’s reigning Olympic champion Wu Yu, while Lovlina Borgohain lost 0-5 to Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zokirova in the 75kg semifinal.
Meanwhile, Pooja Rani bowed out in the 80kg category after a 0-5 defeat to Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Ryabets, ending her campaign at the semifinal stage.
With three boxers already through to the finals, India’s campaign remains on track, with two more semifinal bouts in the 48kg and 57kg categories scheduled for April 7.
Agencies