Tampere (Finland), Oct 30 (IANS) Four Indian boxers advanced to the semifinals at the 46th International Tammer Boxing Tournament with impressive wins on the opening day in Tampere, Finland, on Friday, as the contingent made a perfect start in the prestigious tournament.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) led the charge for India with a dominant win over Finland’s Vilma Kuusikko, Aarti Dhariyal (54kg) registered a commanding victory against Sweden’s Britta Lia Tisell, while Ankushita Boro (65kg) overcame Brazil’s Haziel Santos to move into the last four.
In the men’s 60kg category, Hussam Uddin Mohammed produced a technically superior display to beat Scotland’s Luca Flynn and secure his semifinal berth.
Later on Friday, World Champion Jaismine (57kg) will open her campaign against Brazil’s Jessica Dias Coutinho, while Hitesh (70kg) will take on England’s Kyle Shaw-Tullin.
Commonwealth Games gold medallists Jaismine and Arundhati Choudhary headline a 14-member Indian boxing contingent at the event in Tampere, Finland, from October 28 to November 2.
The tournament will provide international exposure to Indian boxers ranked third in the country’s Olympic weight-category bench strength, along with top-ranked pugilists in Olympic weight categories that are not part of the Asian Games programme.
Organised by the Tampere Boxing Association, the tournament has been held annually since 1977 and is an established event on the international boxing calendar. The competition will be held from October 30 to November 1, with preliminary rounds on the opening day, semifinals on October 31 and finals on November 1.
The tournament features 10 elite men’s and seven elite women’s weight categories and will be conducted under World Boxing competition rules.
The Indian men’s squad comprises Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Hussam Uddin Mohammed (60kg), Vivek Meena (65kg), Hitesh (70kg), Akshay (80kg), Bobin Chauhan (90kg) and Chetan Choudhary (90+kg). In the women’s section, Tanu (51kg), Aarti Dhariyal (54kg), Jaismine (57kg), Disha Vijay Patil (60kg), Ankushita Boro (65kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) and Imroz Khan (75kg) will represent India.
–IANS
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