India boxers punch their way to 12-medal haul in Czechia

India’s Commonwealth Games-bound boxers finished with a rich haul of 12 medals, including eight golds, capping off a commanding display at the invitational 56th Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in Czechia.

The five-member women’s team led the charge by winning four gold medals and one silver. Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), reigning Asian champion Preeti Pawar (54kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg) and Priya Ghanghas (60kg) all struck gold by registering unanimous victories in their respective finals.

Parveen Hooda (65kg) added a silver medal to complete an impressive showing by the women’s squad.

The men’s team matched the women’s success with four gold medals. Jadumani Singh (55kg), Sachin (60kg), Ankush (80kg) and Narender (+90kg) emerged champions in their respective categories.

Lovlina defeated Italy’s Melissa Gemini 5-0 in the final, while Preeti outclassed France’s Jeyssa Marcel by a similar margin.

Sakshi beat France’s Mayssoun Bourega 5-0 and Priya secured a dominant win over home favourite Barbora Maxova of Czechia.

Jadumani defeated England’s Abdul Burton 4-1 in the final, while Sachin and Ankush registered comprehensive 5-0 victories over Hungary’s Veres Rohland and Czech Republic’s Florian Daniel, respectively.

Narender edged past Armenia’s Davit Chaloyan 3-2 in a closely fought heavyweight final.

Aditya Pratap Yadav (65kg) and Kapil Pokhariya (90kg) settled for silver medals after narrow defeats in their title bouts, while Sumit Kundu (70kg) claimed bronze.