CWG 2014: Pinki Jangra snaps up bronze in boxing

Pinki Jangra

India’s Pinki Jangra had to settle for a bronze after losing in the semifinals of the women’s flyweight category (48-51 kg) to Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Pinki – ranked 11th in the world – was not allowed to get into her groove even as Michaela offered stout defence and potent punches to score crucial points from the opening round. The Irishwoman sustained her form in all the rounds to carry the day.

Out of the three judges, two gave Michaela more points than Pinki – 40 and 39 to 36 and 37 respectively, while the third gave the two boxers the exact same points – 38. Michaela’s total score, therefore, was six points higher than Pinki’s – 117 to 111.

The Haryana girl, who got a bye to the quarterfinals, had earlier got the better of Papua New Guinea’s Jacquiline Wangi.

Pinki had defeated the country’s lone Olympic medallist MC Mary Kom in the CWG selection trials earlier this year.

In the other semifinal of the same weight category, England’s Nicola Adams outboxed Canada’s Mandy Bujold.

Former world champion L Sarita Devi will later take on Maria Machongua of Mozambique in the semifinals of the women’s lightweight (57-60 kg) category.

In the men’s section, Vijender Singh – a bronze medallist in the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games – faces Northern Ireland’s Connor Coyle in the middle weight category (75 kg).

London Olympics quarterfinalist Laishram Devendro Singh meets Ashley Williams of Wales in the semifinals of the light flyweight category (51 kg). Mandeep Jangra faces Northern Ireland’s Stephen Donnelly in the semifinals of the welter weight category (69 kg).