Guwahati: Four-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa created history by bagging India’s first gold at the VII Republic of Kazakhstan President’s Cup 2019 boxing tournament after getting a walkover in the finals held in Astana, Kazakhstan on Saturday.
The 25-year-old pugilist from Guwahati, Assam won the gold in the newly-introduced Olympic category of 63 kg. Thapa was to fight Kazakhstan’s Zakir Safiullin but he pulled out due to injury.
Meanwhile, India’s Parveen signed off with a silver medal in the women’s 60 kg category by losing to Rimma Volosenko of the host country.
With this, Indian boxers finished their campaign on a high with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the VII Republic of Kazakhstan President’s Cup 2019 in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on Saturday.
This was India’s first ever gold medal at this tournament since its inception in 2006.
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Thapa’s opponent, two-time Asian Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist Zakir Safiullin of Kazakhstan, could not enter the ring for the summit clash after suffering a forehead injury in the semi-finals.
Thapa was thus given a walkover to the gold that he added to the yellow metal he grabbed from the India Open earlier this year.
Nineteen-year-old Parveen was a sensation at this tournament. Having clinched the bronze at the India Open and at the Cologne Boxing World Cup, the young talent made rapid strides to shock Women’s World Championships bronze medallist Karina Ibragimova 3-2 in the semi-finals. In the final, however, she came up short against Kazakhstan’s Nations Cup gold medallist Rimma Volosenko 0-5 to settle for the silver.
In 69kg, Duryodhan Singh Negi lost 1-4 to Kazakhstan’s Shayken Talgat in the semi-finals while Saweety Bora too endured the same fate in 75kg against Russia’s Elena Gapeshina to get the bronze.
