Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Nikhat Zareen chalked out another stunning win defeating two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan while CWG Gold medallist Gaurav Solanki overpowered tough local challenger to move into the semi finals in their respective categories at the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey.
Nikhat (51kg) and Gaurav (57kg) thus assured India two medals as their four other compatriots crashed out of contention.
Nikhat, who had earlier defeated 2019 World Champion Paltceva Ekaterina of Russia in the pre quarter-final, looked confident against her opponent and stamped her authority right from the beginning and emerged 4-1 winner against Kyzaibay, a gold medallist from 2014 and 2016 World Championships,
In the men section the 2018 CWG Gold medallist Gaurav Solanki (57kg) sailed into the semi-finals after a tough contest against local boy Aykol Mizan. Both the boxers attacked throughout the bout but the Indian displayed his technical supremacy to secure a 4-1 win.
Among other women boxers, Sonia Lather (57kg), Parveen (60kg) and Jyoti (69kg) made exits with losses in their respective quarter-finals. Olympian , Shiva Thapa (63kg) lost 1-4 to Turkey’s Hakan Dogan in an intense bout.
In the semis . Zareen will face another tough challenge as she takes on 2019 World Championships silver-medallist Busenaz Cakiroglu of Turkey while Solanki will be up against Argentina’s Nirco Cuello.