GUWAHATI: Drops of sweat sprinkling out after jaw-crunching hits, as though in slo-mo. Busy feet tracing innumerable steps on the canvas. Faces of delight and dejection after the final verdict. The Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium here was a cauldron of action and emotion after some of tomorrow’s stars took to the ring in a quest to make a name for themselves.
With a fairly large crowd present, mostly Indians, the AIBA Women’s Youth World Championships gathered steam on Day 3 with some fine exhibition of boxing. The host nation’s boxers didn’t disappoint the fans in attendance as they posted one victory after another. Jyoti Gulia, Ankushita Boro, Sashi Chopra, Nitu and Sakshi were all in the zone — progressing to the quarterfinals to make it a perfect day for India.
For Tezpur-born Ankushita, it was an emotional outing. Being a local girl, the fans’ chants amplified twice as much when it was time for her to take centrestage, up against Cagla Aluc of Turkey. Despite being in the thick of things, the cheers did not escape her attention. “It is special indeed. I’m truly amazed by the support,” Ankushita said, as local media queued up in no time to hear what she had to say after winning her bout.
What’s more impressive is that she had lost to Cagla when the two had met in the Balkan Youth International Boxing Championship in the build-up to this event. It was a sweet revenge for the 17-year-old. “She beat me in her country, so it was only natural that I had to return the compliment here,” she said.
Ankushita might have been the cynosure of all eyes on the day but it was Sashi Chopra, who was the standout performer. She toyed with her second-seeded opponent Lin Li Wei-Yie from Taipei. Floating like a butterfly, the 57-kg pugilist used her height-advantage to perfection. Using every inch of the ring, her movement was unsettling for her opponent. Lin was left chasing shadows as her opponent stole big points with her big reach.
Having aced the opening two rounds, Sashi brought out her preserved aggression in the third, almost managing to take down her opponent. The referee had to hand a countdown to Lin, after she was caught out of breath. The domination reflected in the eventual 5-0 verdict. India’s high-performance director Rafael Bergamasco cut a happy figure after Sashi’s polished display. “It was a neat performance. She did an amazing job, I could not be happier,” he beamed.
The coach said that he had noticed a marked improvement in her fighting in five months so far. “She has improved a great deal. She has a much better game sense and she can do even better in the future. If Tuesday’s results are anything to go by, the country definitely has potential champions in the likes of Sashi and Ankushita.”
India results: Light Fly (45-48 kg): Nitu beat Emi-Mari Todorova 5-0; Fly (51kg): Jyoti beat Lisinska Anastasiia 5-0; Bantam (54kg): Sakshi bt Indira Shudabaeva 4-1; Feather (57kg): Shashi Chopra beat Lin Li Wei-Yi 5-0; Light Welter (64kg): Ankushita Boro bt Cagla Aluc 5-0.
anmol@newindianexpress.com