INDIA FINISHES BEST-EVER CAMPAIGN

In 17 years, the Indian pugilists had an outstanding campaign; tops the medal tally among the 63 nations, winning 4 gold medals in the Women's World Boxing Championship

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New Delhi, March 26, 2023: India capped off an outstanding campaign by finishing with the highest gold medals (four) at the Mahindra IBA Women's World Boxing Championship after the nation's illustrious pugilists Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain recorded stellar victories by contrasting margins in the finals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

The reigning World champion Nikhat (50kg) defeated Nguyem Thi Tam of Vietnam to win gold for a second consecutive year at the tournament, while the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina (75kg) claimed her maiden Worlds gold with a 5-2 win on points after the bout was reviewed against Caitlin Parker of Australia.

Alongside Nikhat and Lovlina, 2022 Commonwealth Games medallist Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and three-time Asian medallist Saweety Boora (81kg) were the other gold medallists for the hosts. All pugilists were rewarded with INR 82.7 lakhs ($100,000) each in prize money for becoming World Champions.

Applauding the gold medallists, Ajay Singh, the President of the Boxing Federation of India said, "We are extremely proud of all pugilists that have scripted history with their gold medals. Securing four gold medals at home in front of such a passionate crowd is a fabulous achievement. The performances of these pugilists will undoubtedly inspire young girls from the country to win medals and elevate Indian boxing to greater heights. Everyone at BFI would like to congratulate Nikhat, Nitu, Lovlina and Saweety on their remarkable accomplishments, and we are looking forward to seeing more of the same from them in the upcoming Asian Games."