India‘s boxing contingent achieved a perfect five-in-five performance at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Wednesday. This outcome ensured that all five Indian boxers who competed on the day advanced to the semifinals, bringing the total number of Indian boxing semifinalists to nine.
The five boxers who secured their spots in the semifinals on Wednesday are Narender Berwal (90+kg), Ankush Yadav (80kg), Sakshi Choudhary (51kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), and Sachin Siwach (60kg). Their victories mean that India is now guaranteed at least nine bronze medals in the Glasgow boxing competition.
Boxing Dominance
The winning streak commenced with Sakshi Choudhary, who delivered a dominant performance in the women’s 51kg quarterfinal against Northern Ireland‘s Caitlin Fryers. Sakshi controlled the bout from the outset, utilizing her reach and sharp combinations to secure a unanimous 5-0 victory. She stated that her strategy was to box from long range, which she considers her forte, while her opponent aimed to fight from close range.
Following Sakshi, Arundhati Choudhary faced a more challenging contest in the women’s 70kg quarterfinal against New Zealand‘s Morgan Henderson. After a closely contested bout, Arundhati maintained her composure to achieve a 3-1 victory, earning her place in the semifinals.
Sachin Siwach, a former world youth champion, continued India’s strong showing by overpowering Botswana‘s Treasure Moremi in the men’s 60kg quarterfinal. The Indian boxer, ranked world No. 5, displayed a composed performance, winning the bout 5-0 by unanimous decision after dominating all five judges’ scorecards.
In the men’s 80kg quarterfinal, Ankush Yadav, last year’s World Boxing Cup Finals silver medallist, extended India’s winning streak with another commanding performance. He defeated Seychelles‘ Jade Micock 5-0 to secure his semifinal berth. Ankush’s speed, movement, and superior combinations proved effective throughout the contest.
The final Indian boxer to complete the five-in-five sweep was Narender Berwal, who battled against Samoa‘s Michael Seko in a dramatic men’s 90+kg quarterfinal. Despite two point deductions against him, Berwal showed resilience, forcing standing counts twice, including in the decisive final round, to edge Seko 3-2 on a split decision.
Athletics and Swimming Updates
The nine semifinal berths in boxing have already surpassed India’s total boxing medal tally from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where the country secured seven medals, consisting of three gold, one silver, and three bronze.
These five boxers join Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Jadumani Singh (55kg) in the semifinals. This collective achievement means that every Indian boxer who competed on Wednesday progressed to the last four.
In athletics, shot putters Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill advanced to the final round. Toor, a national record holder, reached the automatic qualification mark of 20m in Group A with a throw of 20.14m on his second attempt. Gill‘s best effort in Group B was 19.95m, which came in his opening attempt. The final for shot put is scheduled for Thursday.
Additionally, national record holder Animesh Kujur qualified for the 200m semifinals in track events, clocking his season best time of 20.46 seconds to win Heat 4 in round one races. The 16 fastest runners from across 10 heats will compete in the semifinals on Thursday.
However, there were no advancements for India in weightlifting or swimming. Sanjana bowed out of the women’s 77 kg category in weightlifting with a Do Not Finish (DNF). In swimming, Sajan Prakash and Aneesh S Gowda did not qualify for the men’s 200m freestyle final. Prakash finished fifth in his heat and 20th overall with 1.51.99 seconds, while Aneesh finished 18th overall with a timing of 1:51.64 seconds. Para swimmers Suyash Narayan Jadhav and Chaitanya Vishwas Kulkarni qualified for the Men’s 50m Freestyle S7 event.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Priya Nair
Sports Reporter
