Rohtak: Former world champion L Sarita Devi (60kg) and Sonia Lather (57kg) progressed to the semi-finals of the National Women’s Boxing Championships on Wednesday. They won their respective quarter-final bouts rather easily to advance.
Sarita who is representing the All India Police in the competition out-punched Aquillia Dupak of Arunachal Pradesh in the first round itself to win. It was also the second time in the competition that the Manipuri boxer has won the match in the first round itself. While Tamil Nadu’s Muthulakshmi couldn’t continue to fight after the initial game in the previous round, Dupak gave up at the end of it.
Sonia Lather representing the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) on the other, defeated Kamala Bisht of Uttarakhand 5-0 by an unanimous verdict to sail to the semis. Also entering the semi-finals was RSPB’s Pavitra (60kg). The former World Championships quarter-finalists ousted Chaoba Devi of Manipur.
It was however curtain for another RSPB boxer Shiksha (54kg) who bowed out of the competition after losing to Punjab’s Shavinder Kaur Sidhu by an unanimous verdict.
Meanwhile former World Championships silver medallist Sarju Bala Devi (48kg) competing for Manipur also forayed into the medal rounds after upstaging Madhya Pradesh’s Deepa Kumari 5-0 by an unanimous decision.
Nikhat Zareen (51kg), a former Junior World Champion was the other prominent boxer who made it after easing past Chhatisgarh’s Abha to be assured of her second successive medal.