Indian boxers finish with six medals at Warsaw meet

New Delhi: Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg) delivered a gold medal each as Indian boxers collected a rich haul of two gold, one silver and three bronze to finish their campaign on a high at the XXXVI Feliks Stamm International Boxing Tournament in Warsaw on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Solanki showed glimpses of the impeccable form that brought him a gold medal from the Commonwealth Games and the Chemistry Cup last year as he out-punched England's William Cawley 5-0 on his way to the coveted yellow metal.

Kaushik too exhibited the confidence that he had displayed last year to grab the India Open gold and the Commonwealth Games silver. Against Morocco's Mohamed Hamout, the 23-year-old was sharp and agile and was declared 4-1 winner.

The only disappointment for the Indian contingent on the final day of this European tournament was the result of Mohammed Hussamuddin, that did not go in favour of the bantamweight specialist. Hussamuddin (56kg), who started the 2019 season with a silver at the Gee Bee Boxing tournament, had to be content with yet another silver finish following a 1-4 defeat to Russia's Mukhammad Shekhov despite producing a strong show throughout the bout.

Besides them, three Indian pugilists had to settle for the bronze after losing their respective semi-final contests. In 69kg, 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist and Arjuna awardee Mandeep Jangra went down 0-5 to Russia's Vadim Musaev, while in 91kg, Sanjeet lost to David Nyika of New Zealand by an identical score.

In 64kg, Ankit Khatana gave his all but was edged 2-3 by Damian Durkacz of Poland in a tight semi-final clash.

The six-day competition saw boxers from all over the world participating in 10 categories in the men's section, and in five categories in the women's section as they gear up for the World Championships later in the year.