Home / Boxing / Nikhat Zareeen and Arundhati Choudhary storm into ..

Nikhat Zareeen and Arundhati Choudhary storm into semis of 75th Strandja Memorial

Reigning World Champions Nikhat Zareen and Arundhati Choudhary stormed into the semifinals of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament.

By Soumya | Feb 9, 2024 | 3 Min Read

Reigning World Champions Nikhat Zareen and Arundhati Choudhary secured comfortable wins and moved to the semifinals of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday. The event, one of Europe’s oldest international sports competitions, is witnessing the participation of over 300 pugilists from 30 countries, showcasing the global appeal and competitive spirit of the sport.

What happened in the match?

In the first quarter-final of the day, Nikhat (50kg) was in action against France’s Lkhadiri Wassila. It was a close encounter from the get-go as both the boxers looked well-prepared to tackle each other’s move. Nikhat used her quick movements and counter-attacking game to go ahead of her opponent in the first round. The second round started on a similar note as both the boxers were cautious and didn’t commit much on the attacking front.

Though Nikhat managed to stay slightly ahead of her opponent in both rounds, it looked like the bout could go in anyone’s favour. It was the third round in which Nikhat looked at her absolute best as she dodged her opponent’s attacks efficiently while delivering some quality blows. Lkhadiri tried to be more aggressive but the Indian pugilist was equipped to deal with it as she won the bout with a 5-0 unanimous decision.

In the other match of the day, Arundhati Choudhary (66kg) showed a similar level of dominance against Matovic Milena of Serbia. Both the boxers played the game of patience at first, but it was Arundhati who took charge as she initiated multiple attacks, winning the first round with ease.

Arundhati continued her momentum in the second round while being defensively solid in the third, blocking multiple desperate attacking attempts from the opponent to clinch a 5-0 win to qualify for the semifinals.

Disappointment for Sakshi

While Nikhat and Arundhati had a wonderful night to remember, Sakshi had a disappointing one as she crashed out of the quarters. Sakshi suffered a 2-3 defeat against Mamajonova Khumorabonu of Uzbekistan to exit the tournament in the 57 kg category.

Sakshi found it hard to get into the rhythm as the Uzbek boxer took full advantage and kept her at bay throughout the first and second rounds. The situation did improve in the third round as Sakshi tried hard to make a comeback and succeeded in winning the round but fell short of winning the bout.

What next for the Indian boxers?

Nikhat will now prepare to meet home favourite Zlatislava Chukanova in the semifinals on Saturday. On the other hand, Arundhati will face Jessica Triebeľová of Slovakia on Saturday. Later tonight Jugnoo (86kg) and Sagar (+92kg) will take on Uzbekistan’s Djalolov Samandar and Zokirov Jakhongir while Naveen (92kg) will be in action against Kuttybekov Abzal of Kazakhstan.

On Friday, seven Indian pugilists will compete in the quarterfinals. Amit Panghal (51kg) will be in action against Aldarkhishig Battulga of Mongolia, Lalit (54kg) will face Uzbekistan’s Nortojiev Khujanazar, Sachin (57kg) will take on Kapanadze Giorgi of Georgia and Rajat (67kg) will face the challenge from Ukraine’s Matiakubov Bozorboi.

Akash (71kg) will go head-to-head against Mckeever Eugene of Ireland, Deepak (75kg) will meet Ummatalievu Javokhir of Uzbekistan and Abhimanyu Loura (80kg) will take on China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan.

Get the latest from Sportslumo.com by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.