Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and World champion Nikhat Zareen overcame their share of odds to win the women’s boxing selection trials for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in New Delhi on Saturday.
Both recorded identical 7-0 wins. Lovlina defeated Pooja in the 70kg final, while Nikhat beat Minakshi in the 50kg final.
“I had not prepared well for the World championships. The defeat taught me a lot. After the Tokyo Olympics, there were a lot of invites to attend events. It had its effect. So I worked on the mental side of my game,” said Lovlina after the trials.
Nikhat performed well despite the post-World championships distractions. “I had only three days to prepare. The main challenge was to come down to 50kg from 52kg. I did everything necessary to control my weight,” said Nikhat.
Punching above their weight
Jasmine Lamboria punched above her weight to defeat Parveen, who recently bagged a 63kg Worlds bronze, 6-1 to take the spot in the 60kg.
World youth champion Nitu Ghanghas rallied to stun Worlds silver medallist Manju Rani 5-2 to get selected in the 48kg class.
India will be represented by eight men and four women at the Games.
The squad: Women: Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Jasmine Lamboria (60kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (70kg).
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