World gold medallist in 48kg category, boxer now moves up to 54kg
NEW DELHI: Nitu Ghanghas, gold medallist at the Women's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi earlier this year, has moved up to the 54kg (featherweight) category from 48kg (minimum weight) category. Nitu had won the world championships gold and 2022 Commonwealth Games gold in the 48kg category.
The 22-year-old wanted to graduate to the 51kg (light flyweight) category, but two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen has already made the weight division her own. Having won gold at the New Delhi Worlds, Zareen is a direct representative for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games in the category. As a result, Nitu has been forced to jump two weight categories higher.
"Since I changed my weight, I had to undergo trials to be at the national camp. I did well at the trials. Two girls - Jyoti Gulia and I - reached the final and both of us have been selected in the camp for the 54kg category," Nitu told TOI.
"My weight was around 51-52(kg), so it hasn't been that difficult to go up. As I was fighting in a lower weight category, my speed and movement is better than the boxers already in the 54kg category. Now, I have to increase my strength and power so that my punches have more impact during bouts," said Nitu.
Another boxer, Preeti Dahiya, who represented India at the New Delhi Worlds, is already a pick for the national camp. Preeti had lost in the pre-quarterfinals at the world championships.
So, three boxers - Nitu, Jyoti and Preeti - will undergo the "evaluation process" established as a convention for selection by Bernard Dunne, Indian boxing's High Performance Director. The one who gets the most number of points will represent India in the 54kg category at the Asiad.
Besides Dunne, the evaluation will be done by chief foreign coach Dmitry Dmitruk and head coach of the national women's boxing team Bhaskar Bhatt. The Asian Games is the first qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
