CWG 2026: Young trio of Preeti, Priya, Jadumani secure three boxing medals for India

India’s young boxing brigade continued their impressive run at the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday as reigning Asian champion Priya Ghanghas, Asian Games bronze medalist Preeti Pawar and Jadumani Singh won their quarter-final bouts to secure three more medals for the country in Glasgow. However, Parveen Hooda and heavyweight Kapil Pokhariya were sidelined after defeats in the round of 16.

Commonwealth Games 2026, July 28: HIGHLIGHTS

Priya (60kg) recovered from a first-round deficit to beat Scotland’s Niamh Mitchell 4-1 in front of a supportive home crowd, Preeti (54kg) outclassed Northern Ireland’s Nicole Clyde 5-0, while Jadumani (55kg) beat Zambia’s Mwengo Mwale by unanimous decision in the semi-finals.

With the two losing boxing semi-finalists guaranteeing bronze medals, the trio moved to within one win of a place in their respective finals.

PRIYA STUNS HOME FAVORITES

The most exciting match of the day came in the women’s 60kg quarter-final where Priya staged a thrilling comeback to beat Mitchell despite the support of a loud Scottish crowd.

The 20-year-old from Haryana matched Mitchell blow for blow in the opening round but found herself trailing after four of the five judges scored her in favor of the Scot.

Undeterred by the deficit or the atmosphere, Priya upped the intensity in the second round, striding forward and forcing Mitchell onto the back foot with persistent pressure and clean combinations.

Both boxers were deducted a point during the round, Priya for repeatedly dropping her head and Mitchell for excessive clinching as she tried to slow the Indian’s momentum.

The points deductions did little to change the dynamic of the contest. Priya won the second round by the same margin of 4-1, making the match even and decided.

Being a semi-final, Priya kept her composure in the final round and landed cleaner and more effective punches to seal a memorable split decision win.

The judges scored the match 28-27, 28-27, 27-28, 28-27 and 29-26 in favor of Priya.

After winning, Priya summed up the occasion with a smile.

“That’s the feeling, beating Scotland in Scotland,” she said.

PREETI IS BARELY NOT SWEATING

If Priya had to fight her way back, Preeti enjoyed a much more comfortable outing against Clyde, an opponent she trained with during India’s pre-Games training camp in Belfast.

Despite giving away her height, the 22-year-old controlled the distance with her speed, movement and shot selection. She repeatedly split Clyde’s guard with sharp combinations to dominate the opening round, with four judges scoring it 10-9 and one awarding her a 10-8 advantage.

The second round followed a similar pattern with Preeti’s sharp footwork and precise jabs and Clyde tried to impress. She once again swept the scorecards of all five judges to take complete control of the competition.

Preeti maintained the same intensity in the final round as well, boxing with discipline to complete a comprehensive unanimous victory.

The medal guarantees the first Commonwealth Games podium of her career. She will face Zambia’s Catherine Mwape in the semi-finals.

JADUMANI MOVE ON

Jadumani also secured a place in the semi-finals with a convincing win over Mwala in the men’s 55kg quarter-final.

The Manipuri boxer dictated the pace from the opening bell, mixing up his attacks well and landing cleaner punches throughout the contest. Mwale struggled to establish any rhythm as Jadumani swept all five judges’ scores to record a comfortable 5-0 victory.

The result kept India’s medal run alive in boxing.

PARVEEN, KAPIL BOW

Parveen’s medal hopes ended after a close fight against England’s Sacha Hickey.

The Indian stayed in the contest throughout, but eventually lost 2-3 on judges’ scores after a hard-fought match.

Meanwhile, Kapil failed to get past Robert McNulty in the men’s 90kg quarter-final. The English boxer controlled the exchanges over three rounds to claim a 5-0 unanimous decision to end the Indian’s campaign.

Preeti, Priya and Jadumani will now fight for places in their respective finals as India’s boxing campaign gathers momentum in Glasgow.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

29 Jul 2026 02:27 IST