Nikhat, Nitu Clinch Gold Medals At The 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament

New Delhi: Indian boxers Nikhat Zareen and Nitu clinched gold medals at the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday.

According to information received here, Nikhat bagged her second gold medal at the Europe's oldest international boxing tournament with a 4-1 win in the women's 52kg final. She had previously won the Strandja Memorial title in 2019.

Nitu outpunched the reigning Youth World Championships bronze medallist Italy's Erika Prisciandro 5-0 without breaking a sweat in the women's 48kg final.

With Nandini also finishing on the podium in the +81kg category and signing off with a bronze medal, the Indian contingent concluded their campaign with three medals at the tournament, which was part of India's first exposure trip this year.

Up against Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, Nikhat did not have the best of starts to the match as her experienced opponent went aggressive from the word go. The 34-year-old former World Championships bronze medallist Kob used all her experience to push Nikhat on the back foot. But as the bout progressed, the Indian grew in confidence and fought back well to secure a 4-1 lead in the opening round.

The 25-year-old Telangana boxer Nikhat, who has been in a red-hot form in the tournament and beat Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semi-finals, made a strong start and looked in a complete control in the remaining part of the bout as she landed some sharp scoring punches before completing a convincing win.

Earlier, Nitu, who hails from Haryana, made a cautious start and took time to settle down. She maintained distance and tested the strength of Italy's young boxer Prisciandro. There was hardly any power-hitting but the contest was more engaging in the close second round with both the boxers exchanging the punches.

Also read: FIH Pro League: India Lose To Spain

Also watch: