India tallied 9 medals at the 23rd Presidents Cup in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Six-time world champion Mary Kom (51kg) and 2018 World Championships bronze winner Simranjit Kaur (60kg) grabbed a gold each as Indian boxers finished their campaign.
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The rich haul comprised seven gold and two silver. While the women had a flawless record in the finals, winning all the four gold medals on offer, the men had mixed fortunes and had to settle for two silver along with three gold.
The superb all-round performance helped the contingent win the ‘Best Team’ award.
In her first bout on Saturday Mary Kom had to dig deep to stave off the resistance of Vietnam’s Anh vo Thi Kim 3-2, but she was simply magnificent in the final as she powered to a 5-0 win over Australia’s April Franks.
“Gold medal for me and for my country at #PresidentCup Indonesia. Winning means you’re willing to go longer,work harder & give more effort than anyone else,” Mary Kom tweeted.
Mary Kom will be looking to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the World Championships in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
India’s gold rush continued with Simranjit Kaur being equally impressive in her final against Indonesia’s Asian Games bronze medallist Hasanah Huswatun. The Asian Boxing Championships silver medallist dominated her opponent 5-0.
In 54kg, Assam’s young and bright talent Jamuna Boro did not put a foot wrong in a 5-0 demolition of Italy’s Giulia Lamagna to add to the gold she won at the India Open in May.
In 48kg, youngster Monika ended the challenge of Endang of Indonesia by a similar scoreline to round off what was a memorable campaign for Indian women pugilists.
Among the men, Ankush Dahiya (64kg), Neeraj Swami (49kg) and Ananta Pralhad Chopade (52kg) were crowned the champions in their respective weight categories.
However, it was a heartbreak for former World Championships bronze medallist Gaurav Bidhuri who gave his all but was edged 2-3 by Indonesian Mandagie Jill in the 56kg bantamweight bout.
2018 India Open silver medallist Dinesh Dagar found Indonesia’s Samada Saputra too strong and was dealt a 0-5 blow on his way to the silver medal.
Results of 23rd Presidents Cup:
Women:
48kg Category: Monika bt Endang (Ina) 5-0
51kg Category: M.C. Mary Kom bt April Franks (Aus) 5-0
54kg Category: Jamuna Boro bt Giulia Lamagna (Ita) 5-0
60kg Category: Simranjit Kaur bt Hasanah Huswatun (Ina) 5-0
Men:
49kg Category: Neeraj Swami bt Macado Jr. Ramel (Phi) 4-1
52kg Category: Ananta Pralhad Chopade bt Rahmani Ramish (Afg) 5-0
56kg Category: Mandagie Jill (Ina) bt Gaurav Bidhuri 3-2
64kg Category: Ankush Dahiya bt Leung Kin Fong (Mac) 5-0
69kg Category: Samada Saputra (Ina) bt Dinesh Dagar 5-0
