It was case of so near yet so far for 21-year-old Indian pugilist Sonia Chahal, who had to settle for silver at the Women’s World Boxing Championship in New Delhi on Saturday.

Sonia went down fighting to Germany’s Wahner Ornella Gabriele, who won the bout courtesy of splits decision after three rounds of gruelling boxing at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

For Sonia, who hails from Bhiwani district in Haryana, it is a stupendous achievement win silver in her maiden outing at the World Championships with little experience under her belt.

She began her boxing career in 2011 when she was 14 and rose through the ranks by competing at the school and sub-junior levels. She first won a senior level medal in 2016. Last year, she won a gold in Serbia Cup and bagged a bronze in the Ahmet Comert tournament in Turkey earlier this year.

First Published: Nov 24, 2018 17:59 IST