DAY THREE ACTION FROM 2ND SUB-JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN SHILLONG
Day three of the 2nd Sub-Junior National Championships and action continued with the preliminary bouts at the North Eastern Hills University Campus in Mawlai, Shillong. Being hosted by Meghalaya Boxing Association the championship had 269 boxers from 31 state and board teams vying for the coveted title of ‘Sub-Junior National Champion’. The five-day event has been divided into three categories – boys of age 14 (Group A), 13 (Group B) and 12 (group C). 100 medals are on stake in 25 weight categories spread over the above mentioned three age groups.
Trending
The day began with fights in the 12 year age group. First up were the boys of 32 kg and under, weight category. Ajay Ravidas of Jharkhand opened with a stunning performance against Yash Tokas of Delhi. He won 14:3 on points to make it to the next round. In the same weight category, local lad Raja Chettri, Karambir Bharti of Chandigarh and Deepak Kashyap of Chhattisgarh also advance to the next stage, beating their respective opponents.
In a much anticipated bout of the day, Rohit Khatri of Delhi took on Sunil from Haryana in the 36 kg weight class of the same age group. With two sub-junior state champions locking horns for the national title, it was expected to be a close contest. But the Haryana lad seemed to have different plans. Sunil dominated proceeding from the start never allowing Rohit to settle down. He registered his first win of the tournament with an 8:3 victory on points.
In the same weight division debutants Rahul Yadav of Chandigarh and Alexander of the services team, enthralled the crown with some crafty exchanges. At the end though, it was Alexander who emerged triumphant with his nifty footwork and short jabs. He won 6:9 on points.
There was high drama in the 44 kg class with the fight between Swapna Kumar Nayak of Orissa and Sisir Rai of Sikkim going down to the wire. The young glove men matched each other punch for punch and after three rounds of intense action the scores were knotted at 9 all. Ultimately it was Rai who was declared the winner on individual judge’s score, a victory he was more than happy with.
In the 36 kg of the 13 year age group, Suraj was all guns blazing against Chetan Singh Panwar of Rajasthan. The Haryana boxers, who won a silver medal at the 1st Sub-Junior National Championship last year ousted Chetan, a bronze medallist at the same tournament, in a one-sided contest. He won with a margin of 7 points (8:1).
In the same division, Lekhraj Pun of Himachal Pradesh also advanced to the next round with a thumping win over Saurav Kumar of Bihar. But there was disappointment for last year’s bronze medallist Ghanshyam Chetri. He lost out to Sangmuga Priyan of Tamil Nadu 18:5.
