Amit Panghal, Sachin Clinch Gold at Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria, Nikhat Zareen Misses Out in Close Contest

Halfway into the opening round, Bobokulova threw both her arms up in the air as if celebrating a good punch on the Indian, but in effect, those were in response to a big punch that Nikhat had landed moments before.

Over those three minutes, there was a good case to be made that Nikhat landed more meaningful punches than her opponent but Bobokulova exuded more confidence and energy. A 1-4 decision on the scorecard was harsh on Nikhat and it would prove to be tough to overcome after she also lost a tough second round 2-3. The Indian did dominate the final stages to take it 5-0 but the damage had been done early on, meaning Nikhat has now gone two international tournaments without gold after a streak of titles leading into the Asian Games.

There was very little emotion on Amit Panghal’s (51kg) face as well but he produced a masterful display against reigning world champion (albeit in a lower division) Kazakhstan’s Sanzhar Tashkenbay to win 5-0. The second gold medal of the day for India came from Sachin (57kg) as he prevailed over Uzbekistan’s Shakhzod Muzafarov.