India win 17 medals in the 2023 IBA Junior World Boxing Championships

Young boxers Payal, Nisha, and Akansha had dominant performances to win the 2023 IBA Junior World Boxing Championships in Yerevan, Armenia, as India finished with 17 medals.

Payal gave India its first gold medal at the prestigious championships when she defeated local favourite Petrosyan Heghine of Armenia in the girls 48kg final by unanimous decision. Akansha won gold in the 70 kg category, Pari won gold in the 48 kg category, and Nisha won gold in the 52 kg category. Vini took silver in the 52 kg weight category, while Srishti Sathe took silver in the 63 kg weight category.

Hardik (80kg), the Asian junior champion, lost a close 2-3 decision to Russia’s Ashurov Bairamkhan on Sunday. Both boxers were active throughout the fight, seizing every opportunity to gain points and keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. However, the Russian did enough to influence the outcome in his favour.

Nisha (52kg) and Akansha (70kg), Asian young champions, lived up to the hype, extending their dream runs to win gold medals in style. They defeated Tajikistan’s Abdullaoeva Farinoz and Russia’s Taimazova Elizaveta with identical 5-0 scores.

India was the dominant force in the renowned tournament, winning 17 medals, including three gold, nine silver, and five bronze. Overall, 12 Indians qualified for the finals, the most of any country in this tournament.

The girls boxers’ three gold medals tied them for second place with Kazakhstan, trailing only Russia’s four gold medals.

Medalists from India:

• Girls: Payal (48kg), Nisha (52kg), and Akansha (70kg); Amisha (54kg), Vini (57kg), Shrushti Sathe (63kg), Megha (80kg), Prachi Tokas (80+kg); Neha Lunthi (46kg), Pari (50kg), Nidhi Dhull (66kg), and Kritika (75kg).
• Boys: Jatin (54kg), Sahil (75kg), Hardik Panwar (80kg), Hemant Sangwan (80+kg); Sikandar (48kg)