Being the first off the blocks has its advantages. It can cause the jitters too. On Saturday, Preeti Pawar was the first to start the gold medal bout of the 10 Indians who had made the boxing finals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday. The Haryana boxer would have felt those butterflies in the stomach, but more than that, Preeti knew she had that sting in her punches, a familiar, happy place, that would open the door for the gold rush that followed for India after her 5-0 win in the women’s 54kg final. And that’s what happened. The thoughtful Preeti, who loves to sketch in her me-time, defeated Canada’s Scarlett Delgado 5-0 to open India’s gold account in boxing. “I was not nervous, but conscious of the fact that my bout was first and the result would have an impact on my teammates. But I was also sure of winning it and giving the start that India needed,” Preeti told TOI. Taking a leaf from Preeti’s emphatic opener, four more Indians, Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, Priya Ghanghas and Arundhati Choudhary, won gold by clinching their respective finals. It could have been an India Perfect 10, but the promising Jadumani Singh of Manipur had to settle for silver in the men’s 55kg final. There was further disappointment for Tokyo Games bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who had got a bye and a direct entry in the semifinals, as she lost her final 1-4 in split decision against Australia’s Emma-Sue Greentree in the women’s 75kg final. Preeti, who had participated at the 2024 Paris Olympics and won gold at last year’s World Cup Finals, along with taking the Asian Championships top medal this year, didn’t have any trouble in beating the Canadian in a unanimous decision. In the second bout, current World No. 1 and World Champion Jaismine found a tough challenger in last edition’s champion Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland. After taking the first round on a split decision, Jaismine focused on her defence and landed some clean punches to take the next two rounds unanimously and win with a 5-0 scoreline. In the men’s event, Jadumani, who met a taller opponent again in Jye Dixon of Australia, struggled in making his punches land. Jadumani lost 0-5. Later, Sakshi brought the gold campaign back on track by registering a 5-0 win against England’s Ruby White in the women’s 51kg medal round. Priya won a tough fight with a 4-1 split decision against Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh in the women’s 60kg final. The ever-smiling Arundhati didn’t allow herself to get dominated by England’s Chantelle Reid. The Kota boxer won gold after a 5-0 victory. In the men’s 60kg bout, Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo troubled Sachin Siwach with his reflexes and attempts to take the bout after getting the judges’ nod in the first round. However, the Indian fought back to claim the second round with a split decision, and the bout too with a 3-2 split verdict. In the men’s 80kg final, Ankush Panghal defeated England’s Dimeji Shittu 4-1 to win India’s seventh gold in boxing. In the last bout, Narender Berwal lost 0-5 to England’s Damar Thomas.
