Asian Games: Sakshi Chaudhary beats Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aira Villegas to enter preliminary stage

Sakshi Chaudhary (Image credit: X) Commonwealth Games gold medalist Sakshi Chaudhary got her Asian Games campaign off to a winning start by defeating Paris Olympics bronze medalist Aira Villegas of the Philippines in the preliminary round on Tuesday.Sakshi won the match 5-0 via unanimous decision at Nishio Gymnasium to book her place in the pre-quarterfinals.The Indian boxer won all three rounds by unanimous decision, with all five judges scoring her 10-9 in each round. Sakshi looked in control and her accurate punches worried Villegas.

A tough challenge awaits Sakshi

Sakshi now faces a much tougher test in the pre-quarterfinals.The Commonwealth Games gold medalist will face current 51kg world champion Alua Balkibekova on Thursday.The Indian boxer has already defeated some of the leading names in the sport.She defeated two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen and reigning world champion Minakshi Hooda during the selection process for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.After moving up from 54kg, Sakshi defeated Nikhat in the semi-finals of the trials before defeating 48kg champion Hooda in the final to earn her a berth in the Commonwealth Games.

Sakshi follows up the CWG gold with a win in the Asian Games

Sakshi won gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. She beat England’s Ruby White 5-0 in the final.After a successful Commonwealth Games campaign, Sakshi turned her attention to the Asian Games.“Winning a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games is a dream come true for me. And now I am fully focused on the Asian Games. These are the platforms I have always aimed for and I want to give my best,” said Sakshi.

“I play for my country”

Sakshi also spoke about the motivation she gets from representing India.The boxer said that playing for her country gives her the strength to keep improving in every match.“I am playing for my country. This constant thought will pump me up and give me strength and courage to do better than the last match I played,” she added.

Sakshi wants to learn from CWG’s experience

Sakshi also said that she will immediately start preparing for the Asian Games after the Commonwealth Games campaign.She wanted to use the lessons from the CWG to improve her performance in Japan.“Now I will start training for the Asian Games. I learned a lot from the Commonwealth Games and I will always cherish this experience,” she added before the Asiad.Sakshi will now look to carry her strong form into Thursday’s pre-quarter-final against Balkibek.