Youth Boxers bow out claiming 3 more medals

By: Allaam Ousman

Sri Lanka added three more to their growing medal tally after three youth contenders bowed out on day eight of the ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday. 

Kumarage Jayanga Sanchith Perera did not last even a round against Kazakhstan’s Zhassulan Berdaly in a 75kg contest but two schoolgirls Hiruni Erandika Fernando (54kg) and Malithi Punsara Thithagala (57kg) gave plucky performances to go the distance against Vietnam and Kazakhkstan. 

Sri Lanka have bagged 14 bronze medals being assured of at least 22 medals before the competition ends on Friday. 

Viharamaha Devi Balika, Kiribathgoda student Hiruni, the third sibling from the Fernando family to represent Sri Lanka at this Championship, kept pouring forward from the opening bell but failed to find the target as her Vietnamese rival Thi Thom Vu kept countering with rights despite backpedalling. 

Thom Vu won the first two rounds clearly and forced a standing ‘eight’ count early in the final round as she went on the offensive landing power blows to win comfortably. 

Hemamali College, Kandy student Thithagalla was not expected to last the distance after being stunned midway in the first round by Kazakhstan’s Aknur Tursyngali for a standing ‘eight’ count. 

However, the smaller Sri Lankan southpaw who showed good technique and ringcraft to land left crosses, also survived a ‘count’ early in round two to creditably go the distance against the stronger Kazak boxer. 

Five Sri Lankans will feature in today’s Under-22 Men semi-finals scheduled to begin at 12.00 p.m. including gold medal hopefuls and reigning Sri Lankan national champions Umayanga Mihiran and Usaith Yazmin. 

Army’s Samarakoon Dasunpriya will make his first appearance in the tournament against Uzbekistan’s Behruz Kholdorov in a 48kg contest. However, Mihiran, Usaith, Ashen Karunanayaka and Deshan Jayasundara have battled their way into the medal round after winning their quarter-finals bouts. 

Mihiran (51kg) will face Tajikistan’s Meroj Sufijonov, Karunayaka (54kg) meets IBA-Pakistan’s Umar Raza Khan, Jayasundara (60kg) is up against Kazakshtan’s Nurislam Kaldybayev, while Usaith (75kg) will face Kyrgystan’s Daniel Adbdrakham in the semi-finals.

(Youth semi-finals): Men: 63.5kg - Ziyad Al Shehri (Saudi Arabia) beat Mukhit Nurkabyluly (Kazakhstan) RSC R2, Mukhammad Alimbekov (Kyrgyzstan) beat Tarun Gandass (IBA-India) RSC R1, 67kg - Mukhammad Sulton Sultonov (Tajikistan) beat Ali Baryktabasov (Kyrgyzstan) WP 5:0, Sultan Turdaly (Kazakhstan) beat Rayan Awaji (Saudi Arabia) RSC R2, 71kg – Arvaz Akhmadi (Kyrgyzstan) beat Nedanovski Aden (Australia) WP 5:0, Aliserikhudo Kholov (Tajikistan) beat Manh Lo Truong (Vietnam) RSC R1, 75kg - Abubakr Ghafurov (Tajikistan) beat Harshith Harshith (IBA-India) RSC R1, Zhassulan Berdaly (Kazakhstan) beat Kumarage Jayanga Sanchith Perera (Sri Lanka) RSC R1, 80kg - Firdous Najibi (Afghanistan) beat Ahmed Kashmiri (Saudi Arabia) RSC-I R1, Igor Solovyev (Kazakhstan) beat Abishek Singh (IBA-India) RSC R2, 86kg - Yash Kumar (IBA-India) beat Abdullah Baheer Qayoumi (Afghanistan) WP 4:1, Aziret Avtandilov (Kyrgyzstan) beat Nursultan Kystaubay (Kazakhstan) WP 4:3, 92kg - Oman Hotak (Afghanistan) beat Karar Hayder Bashider (IBA-Iraq) RSC-I R2, 92+kg - Bexultan Kairatuly (Kazakhstan) beat Orkhan Aghayev (UAE) WP 3:0, Karimzhan Imenkhodzhaev (Kyrgyzstan) beat Adam Al Jayzani (Saudi  Arabia) RSC R1, (Women): 54kg - Zhanel Imantayeva (Kazakhstan) beat Farinoz Abdulloeva (Tajikistan) WP 4:0, Thi Thom Vu (Vietnam) beat Hiruni Fernando (Sri Lanka) WP 5:0, 57kg - Thi Bich Nguyen (Vietnam) beat Elizaveta Lyneva (Kyrgyzstan) WP 4:0, Aknur Tursyngali (Kazakhstan) beat Punsara Thithagalla (Sri Lanka) WP 5:0, 60kg - Kyzy Adelia Asylbek (Kyrgyzstan) beat Mino Azamzoda (Tajikistan) WP 5:0, Tolganay Kassymkhan (Kazakhstan) beat Rifan Jayzani (Saudi Arabia) RSC R2, 63kg - Alina Kudaigenova (Kazakhstan) beat Eliza Maksatova (Kyrgyzstan) RSC R1.