2018 Commonwealth Games boxing: MC Mary Kom, Gaurav Solanki lead India’s medal rush

MC Mary Kom won gold after beating Kristina O’ Hara of Northern Ireland in the finals of the women’s 48 kg boxing final at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Saturday. Gaurav Solanki won gold in the men’s 52 kg boxing category, whilst Amit Panghal and manish Kaushik settled for silver medals.

other sports Updated: Apr 14, 2018 09:55 IST

India's Mary Kom poses with her gold medal after beating Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in their women's 45-48kg final boxing match during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Oxenford Studios venue on the Gold Coast on April 14, 2018. (AFP)

MC Mary Kom and Gaurav Solanki continued India’s good showing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Saturday, winning gold medals in their respective weight categories in boxing. (CWG live updates)

Mary Kom won her women’s 48 kg boxing final vs Northern Ireland’s Kristina O’Hara on a unanimous judges decision, thus securing her maiden medal in the Commonwealth Games.

Gaurav Solanki, meanwhile, beat another member of the Northern Ireland boxing contingent in Brendan Irvine in the final of the men’s 52 kg final bout.

Mary still magnificent

Mary Kom had won an unprecedented fifth gold medal in the 2017 Asian Women’s Championships at Vietnam, proving that there is still plenty of fight left in the veteran boxer.

Many questioned how much she had left in the tank after she had failed to make the cut for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but her dream of representing India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics doesn’t look too far-fetched at this point.

Mary Kom had previously had the honour of bearing the Queen’s Baton during the opening ceremony for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, despite the fact that women’s boxing wasn’t a part of the event.

Women’s boxing was included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time in 2014 but Mary Kom did not qualify for the event at Glasgow.

Panghal, Kaushik settle for silver

Meanwhile, young Indian boxers Amit Panghal and Manish Kaushik both settled for silver medals after losing the finals in their respective weight categories.

Amit Phangal, who was making his maiden appearance in the Commonwealth Games has and previously won a bronze medal in the light flyweight category of the 2017 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in May 2017., lost to England’s Galal Yafai in the final of the men’s 49kg final.

Manish Kaushik lost to Australia’s Harry Garside in the final of the men’s 60kg boxing final via a split decision, thus securing India’s second boxing silver medal on the penultimate day of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.