Shillong: Indian boxers have officially outdone their Hangzhou performance, locking in six medals in Nagoya. The team is already beating the previous count of four. Lovlina Borgohain secured her spot in the gold medal match. The Olympic bronze-winner edged out Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in the 75kg semifinal. She faces a final fight Friday alongside teammates Parveen Hooda and Ankush Panghal.
Other fighters saw tougher luck. Debutant Priya fell 1-4 to China’s Yang Chengyu in the 60kg bracket. Kapil also took a 1-4 loss against Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev in the 90kg bout. Both athletes walk away with bronze. Narender Berwal also heads home with a bronze medal in the super-heavyweight division.
On the wrestling mat, Sunil Kumar earned his place in history. He clinched bronze in the men’s 87kg Greco Roman event with a 9-0 technical superiority win over Philippines’ Roberts Callum Johnston. Sunil is the first Indian to win two medals in the discipline, stating he is "ending India’s 13-year wait for a medal in the Greco Roman style." Nisha Dahiya, however, failed to place in the 68kg event.
Squash squads remain dominant. Both men’s and women’s teams reached the semifinals. The men beat Kuwait 2-0 as Veer Chotrani and Abhay Singh won their respective matches. The women’s team handled Singapore with ease. Tanvi Khanna took her match in four games, and Anahat Singh finished the 2-0 sweep in 22 minutes. Veteran Joshna Chinappa did not play.
Tennis saw mixed results. Sumit Nagal moved to the men’s singles quarterfinals after a 6-3, 6-2 win against Uzbekistan’s Sergey Fomin. He faces China’s Yibing Wu next. Dhakshineswar Suresh exited the tournament alongside both men’s doubles teams, N Sriram Balaji, Anirudh Chandrasekar, Yuki Bhambri, and Dhakshineswar. India also saw no advancement in canoeing, esports, sepaktakraw, or cycling.
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