CHENNAI: Jaismine Lamboria produced yet another dominant performance to storm into the finals of the ongoing women's national boxing championship in Greater Noida.
Competing in the 54-57kg category, the Paris Olympics participant outboxed Vishakha Varitya on Wednesday. Such was Jaismine's dominance that the referee was forced to stop the contest in the third round.
She will be up against Priya of Haryana, who beat Poonam Poonia of Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) by split verdict (4-1) in the other semifinal contest.
Simranjit Kaur, a World Championships medallist, also booked a spot in the finals (60-65kg) with a 3-0 victory over All India Police's (AIP) Sonu Poonia.
Sonia Lather, representing RSPB, was also among winners on the day as she beat Poonam Kaithwas by unanimous verdict (5-0). Sanamacha Chanu of Railways, meanwhile, maintained her eye-catching run with a 5-0 victory over Imroz Khan of AIP.
Experienced Pooja Rani had to dig deep to secure a ticket for the finals. The Asian Games medallist from Haryana edged Anupama of Railways by split verdict (4-1) in the 75-80kg contest. She will take on Lalfakmawi Ralte of AIP in the title decider.
Defending champions Minakshi and Anamika Hooda too marched into their respective weight-category finals. Minakshi beat Delhi’s Sanjana in 45-48kg while Anamika beat Tamil Nadu’s Kalaivani S through split decision in 48-51kg. Minakshi faces Yasika Rai (Sikkim), while Anamika will play against Haryana’s Tamanna.
BFI postpones elections
Off the ring, the Boxing Federation of India postponed the elections that was scheduled be held on March, stating it's "impossible to complete the process within originally planned timelines" after the Delhi and Himachal Pradesh High Courts directed the body to reinstate the names omitted from the electoral college. "This is to inform you that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), which was scheduled to be held on 28.03.2025, stands postponed," BFI said in a notification to its member units. "The Ld. Returning Officer has observed that in light of the court orders and the resulting mandated additions to the electoral college list, it is practically impossible to continue and complete the election process within the originally planned timelines as per the Model Election Code," the notification stated.