Junior Women's National Boxing Championships: Preeti Dahiya, Gagandeep Kaur seal quarter-final spots

Rohtak: Punjab and Haryana dominated the proceedings as the preliminary rounds concluded at the 3rd Junior Women’s National Boxing Championships here on Tuesday. Haryana’s Preeti Dahiya (60kg) and Punjab’s Gagandeep Kaur (57kg) were among the boxers who progressed to the quarter-finals here. A month after winning a gold medal at the third Nation’s Cup in Vrbas, Serbia, Dahiya advanced when her bout with Mizoram’s Lal Remsangi was abandoned in Round 1. [caption id=“attachment_3976167” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty images[/caption] Kirti (57kg), Lashu Yadav (66kg), Komal (80kg), Khushi (63kg), Sneha (70kg) also brought wins for Haryana on Day 3. From Punjab, Gagandeep blanked Karnataka’s Shivani Prakash 5-0 to march into the last-eight. Vishakha (63kg), Anjali (70kg), Khushi (75kg) put Punjab on the winners’ column as well. Chandigarh’s Harnoor Kaur (63kg) was declared the winner after an RSC verdict in Round 1. Diya Negi (60kg), also of Chandigarh, got a walkover. Andhra Pradesh’s Peddada Kavya put up a spirited effort in 57kg to secure a 3-2 win over Tamil Nadu’s Zeenath N Kolukula Krishna Veni (63kg), Gangula Sri Harika (60kg) also made it to the quarters from the same state. The North-East was represented by Mizoram’s Naom Chingsannuami (57kg), who claimed a 3-2 win over Delhi’s Khushi Mann. Manipur’s Hudirom Ambeshori Devi also entered the quarters by dint of her one-sided 5-0 victory over Assam’s Kalpana Singh in 57kg. Her statemate Tingmelhing Chongloi (63kg) got a walkover into the quarters while Thongam Kunjarani Devi was an RSC in R1 winner over Kerala’s Anusha K in 60kg. Kimnunnem (66kg), meanwhile, was made to work hard for her 4-1 win over Maharashtra’s Hiral Makwana. Assam’s Gitimoni Bora (75kg) and Arunachal Pradesh’s Tsering Lahamu (66kg) were also among the winners. The six-day tournament, which will pick the best of India’s rising female pugilists, has a total of 233 boxers participating from 27 states across 13 weight categories.