Manju Rani settled for a silver medal after going down against Russia’s Ekaterina Paltceva via 4:1 verdict in the 48kg summit clash at World Boxing Championships 2019 on Sunday. With her effort, India extend their tally to four medals at the Championships in Ulan-Ude, Russia, with three bronze (Mary Kom, Jamuna Boro and Lovlina Borgohain ) and Manju’s silver.
With a silver win in her debut World Championships, Manju Rani emulated Mary Kom’s 18-year-old record. She became only the third Indian to win a silver medal on debut at the World Championships.
The Haryana boxer, who was seeded sixth before the start of the tournament competed in an intense battle with the 2nd seed Russian. Both the opponents charged into attacking mode in the first round. But Manju found herself struggling as the Russian landed near perfect left hooks in the first three minutes.
Manju made a good comeback in the second round, landing a few straight against the home girl, and it looked liked that she might gain a upper hand in the bout. But a cautious approach from the Indian pugilist in the final round turned the tide back in the favour of the Russian. As the referee announced the final verdict, Rani looked visibly upset.
Rani broke into the national camp only this year by winning the national crown for Punjab after not getting the selection nod in Haryana. Earlier this year, she won a silver medal on debut at the prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament, one of Europe’s oldest and most competitive boxing events.
Rani hails from Rithal Phogat village in the Rohtak district of Haryana. The youngster lost her father, a Border Security Force officer, to cancer in 2010.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published:
Oct 13, 2019 14:02 IST
Source: HindustanTimes