Indian women boxers asserted their authority at the Asian Boxing Championships on Thursday, with Preeti Pawar and Minakshi Hooda leading the charge with four gold points to propel the team to the top of the standings.
Reigning world champion Minakshi (48kg) and Asian Games bronze medalist Preeti (54kg) were joined on the podium by Priya Ghanghas (60kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), ending the Indian contingent’s dominant run.
Minakshi opened the day with a clinical 5-0 win over Mongolia’s Nomundari Enkh-Amgalan, setting the tone for what followed. Preeti then extended her impressive run by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Huang Hsiao-wen, a three-time world champion and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, by a unanimous 5-0 verdict.
Priya added a measured 3-0 win against Won Un-gyong of North Korea while Arundhati sealed India’s fourth gold with a 4-1 win over Bakyt Seidish of Kazakhstan.
India’s only setback in the finals came in the 57kg bout, where reigning world champion Jaismine Lamboria lost 0-5 to Thailand’s Punrawee Ruenros, a two-time World Championship silver medallist.
Alfiya Pathan (80+kg) added a silver medal after losing 0-5 to Kazakhstan’s Dina Islambek in her only match of the competition. By reaching the final, the Indian boxers also secured qualification for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games later this year, in line with the Boxing Federation of India’s selection policy.
The Indian women’s team finished with 10 medals, including four gold, two silver and four bronze, to become the most successful team. However, some weight classes had limited participation, with fields of only three boxers. As a result, boxers like Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) and Pooja Rani (80kg) secured bronze medals after semi-final losses.
Earlier in the week, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (54kg) and Ankushita Boro (65kg) also settled for bronze after semi-final exits.
In the men’s event, Vishwanath Suresh (48 kg) and Sachin Siwach (60 kg) will compete in their final on Friday.
India has now claimed 16 medals in the ongoing edition, the highest among any participating country.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
09 Apr 2026 22:36 IST
