NAGOYA : India’s Ankush Panghal secured his country’s first boxing medal at the Asian Games after beating Tajikistan’s Nekruz Salimov 5-0 in the men’s 80kg quarter-final on Sunday.
The reigning Commonwealth Games champion dominated the first two rounds at Nishio Gymnasium with his speed, movement and counter-punching before Salimov responded in the final round.
Four judges scored the bout 29-28 in Panghal’s favour, while the fifth awarded the Indian a 30-27 victory.
Panghal took the opening round unanimously after landing several right hooks and combinations before using his left hook and movement to win the second round by the same margin.
Salimov pushed forward in the final round in search of a knockdown and landed several punches, but Panghal’s defence held firm. The Tajik won the round 4-1 on the judges’ cards, but it was not enough to prevent the Indian from advancing to the semi-finals and securing at least a bronze medal.
In kurash, India’s Vishal lost his men’s 90kg quarter-final 5-0 to Thailand’s Kunathip Yea-On.
Sangita Balhara was beaten 10-0 by the Philippines’ Charmea Quelino in the women’s -57kg round of 32, while Bharti lost to Iran’s Tahereh Azarpeivand in the round of 16. Yash Kumar Chauhan was also eliminated in the men’s 90kg round of 16, losing 10-0 to Tajikistan’s Shakarmamad Mirmamadov.
In athletics, India’s Tejaswin Shankar dropped to third place in the decathlon after seven events.
Shankar has 5,869 points with three events remaining, trailing leader Chen Xinghua of China by 50 points and Japan’s Yuma Maruyama by 45.
