Women’s national boxing championships: Pooja Rani reaches finals, Smiranjit Kaur stunned in semis
Jaismine beat Smiranjit Kaur to make the 60kg finals. Nikhat Zareen, Manju Rani and Sonia Lather also made the finals in their respective categories.
Two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani made her way to the final of the women’s national boxing championships 2021 on Tuesday but fellow Tokyo Olympian Smiranjit Kaur’s campaign ended in the semis in Hisar, Haryana.
Competing at the St Joseph’s International School, the reigning Asian champion Pooja Rani of Haryana beat Mizoram's Lalfakmawii Ralte 5-0 in the 81kg category semi-final.
Punjab’s Smiranjit Kaur, meanwhile, was stunned by young Haryana boxer Jaismine in the 60kg semis. An Asian championships bronze medallist, Jaismine won the bout by a 3-2 split verdict.
Jaismine will now take on Meena Rani of Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), who beat Mizoram's Kroshmangaihsangi 4-1 in the other 60kg semi-final.
Railways’ Jyoti Gulia, a 2018 Youth Olympian, was the other notable loss of the day. She went down 3-2 to Haryana’s Minakshi in the 52kg semi-finals.
In the other 52kg semis, Telangana's Nikhat Zareen outclassed Uttar Pradesh's Rashi Sharma 5-0.
All final bouts, across 12 categories, will be held on Wednesday.
In other notable results, 2019 world championships medallist Manju Rani made her way into the 48kg final after blanking Tamil Nadu's S Kalaivani 5-0.
Sonia Lather, a two-time Asian medallist, comfortably beat Poonam of Haryana by unanimous decision in the 57kg semi-final.
Current world youth champion Arundhati Choudhary of Rajasthan entered the 70kg final after beating Goa's Shrisha Jampula when the referee stopped the contest (RSC).
World bronze medallist Jamuna Boro lost her 54kg semis bout to Renu, Asian bronze winner Manisha Moun beat Samim Banu Khulakpham 5-0 in the 57kg bout and two-time Asian medallist Saweety Boora blanked Sanamacha Thokchom in the 75kg.
The gold and silver medallists from the women’s national boxing championships will earn a place in the national coaching camp.
The remaining two names for the camp in each category will be picked based on performances in the selection trials, which will take place right after the nationals.