November 25, 2017: Assam girl Ankushita Boro entered the final of the Women’s World Youth Boxing Championships being held at the Sarusajai sports complex. On Friday, she had defeated Thailand’s Thanchnok Saksri in the 64 kg lightweight category.
After a slow start, Ankushita gained confidence and speed with a partisan crowd behind her. She dominated the third round, bobbing and weaving to avoid her opponent’s punches. After entering the final, she said, “I have to work on the pace to avoid getting tired in the last stages of the bout.”
Ankushita Boro will face Russian Ekaterina Dynnik in the gold medal match. Along with Ankushita, Jyoti Gulia (51kg) and Shashi Chopra (57kg) won their semifinal bouts and gave the host a chance to finish among the top nations in the event.
On the other hand, India’s fourth semifinalist, heavyweight Neha Yadav (81kg), was disappointed after she ran into a stronger opponent in Kazakhstan’s Dina Islambekova. She seemed to have no answers to what the Kazakh threw at her.