World champion Nikhat Zareen defeated Carly MC Naul of Northern Ireland in the women's 50kg (Light Flyweight) final on Sunday at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to win the nation's third straight boxing gold medal of the day.
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"I'm very excited to meet him (PM Modi); I took a selfie with him last time & want a new one now. Last time, I took his autograph on my T-shirt, now I'll take it on my boxing gloves," Nikhat Zareen told ANI.
Regarding the multi-sport competition, Zareen stated that she had defied expectations by winning a medal in the CWG 2022 with a spectacular 5:0 score.
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"I'm thrilled to have won the Gold for my country. This was my next major competition after the World Championships; people expected me to win Gold here as well, so I am very glad," she added.
The gold medalist said that hearing the national anthem made her cry, and she expressed optimism that her strong performance would continue in the forthcoming competitions.
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"I can't describe the moment (during the National Anthem), it was memorable & very emotional for me. I am hoping to give such performances further and make my nation proud," Zareen said.
The Indian world boxing champion was having a tremendous start to the fight. In the opening round, Carly did a great job of competing. At the end of the first round, all five judges chose Nikhat because she played to her strengths and kept a little advantage over her rival.
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In the second round, Nikhat maintained her superiority. She was able to win all of the judges' unanimous verdicts because of her agility and knack at timing her blows. Carly, on the other hand, was gaining fatigue and losing speed quickly.
The pattern of Nikhat's dominance continued in the final round. Her opponent was clearly frustrated with her lack of performance and Nikhat continued to tire her out. The gold medal went to the Indian after yet another unanimous decision by judges in the final round.
Earlier, Amit Panghal captured another boxing gold for the country after defeating England's Kiaran Macdonald in the final of 48-51 kg (Flyweight) at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.
Panghal was extremely dominant in the match and won it by 5-0. He won it on basis of points. In the first round, Panghal made a great start. Though his English opponent was always in contention, the Indian was the better boxer as the judges decided in favour of Panghal and he got 10 points from all while Macdonald got nine from all.
In the second round, Panghal continued with the same momentum and kept his upper hand intact. Macdonald tried to fight back but simply could not match the Indian's prowess and hence lost in the second round as well.
Panghal's streak of domination persisted in the championship round as he proceeded to score points with ease. All judges once more ruled in his favour. This enabled him to win the game and give his nation another medal.
Nitu Ghangas also clinched a gold medal after defeating England's Demie-Jade Resztan in the final of the women's 48 kg category at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham on Sunday.
She outscored her English opponent 5-0 to win the match on points. Resztan was no match for Ghangas throughout the contest. The English boxer put up a good fight, but all three rounds were lost because Ghangas had unanimous approval from the five judges.The Commonwealth Games 2022 started in Birmingham from July 28 and will go on till August 8.
(With ANI inputs)
