Indian boxing produced its greatest-ever performance at the Commonwealth Games as Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal clinched gold medals on August 21, taking the country’s tally to a record nine medals — seven gold and two silver — in Glasgow.
The twin triumphs by Siwach (men’s 60kg) and Panghal (men’s 80kg) capped a sensational day for Indian boxing, which rewrote the record books by registering its highest-ever gold medal haul at a single Commonwealth Games, according to ESPN.
Sachin staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo by a 3-2 split decision in a thrilling men’s 60 kg final.
The Haryana boxer endured a difficult start and found himself trailing heading into the decisive third round. His defence came under pressure as Ndevelo repeatedly found success on the counter, while Sachin was also warned several times by the referee.
However, the Indian boxer produced a dramatic finish when it mattered most. Launching an all-out assault in the closing moments, Sachin landed a powerful punch that forced a standing count against the Namibian just seconds before the final bell. The late surge proved decisive as the judges awarded the contest to the Indian by a narrow split verdict, handing him the Commonwealth Games gold medal.
The victory crowned an outstanding unbeaten campaign for the 26-year-old, who had earlier defeated Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh (4-1), England’s William Hewitt (4-1), Botswana’s Treasure Moremi (5-0) and Wales’ Owain Harris-Allan (5-0) on his way to the title.
Hailing from Bhiwani, Haryana, Sachin entered the Games as World No. 5 in his category. A former Youth World champion, Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist, South Asian Games champion and World Boxing Cup Finals winner, he added another major title to his impressive resume with the Glasgow triumph.
Soon after, Ankush Panghal ensured India’s golden run continued by defeating England’s Dimeji Shittu 4-1 by split decision to win the men’s 80kg title.
The 22-year-old from Haryana overcame a difficult opening round in which Shittu enjoyed the upper hand. The English boxer continued to attack aggressively early on, but Ankush gradually wrested control of the contest with clever movement, sharp backhand punches and disciplined defence.
Momentum swung firmly in the Indian’s favour in the closing stages, while Shittu also suffered a point deduction, much to the displeasure of the home crowd. Ankush finished the stronger boxer and deservedly earned the judges’ verdict to become India’s seventh boxing gold medallist of the Games.
The youngster enjoyed a flawless campaign in Glasgow, recording unanimous victories over Antigua and Barbuda’s Zalaan Jan, Seychelles’ Jade Micock and Canada’s Joshua Ofori before overcoming Shittu in the final.
India’s boxing contingent has now delivered its finest-ever Commonwealth Games performance, collecting seven gold medals through Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg) and Ankush Panghal (80kg).
The two silver medals came through Jadumani Singh in the men’s 55kg category and Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who finished runner-up in the women’s 75kg division after narrowly losing to Australia’s Emma-Sue Greentree.
