Asian Games silver-medalist V Santosh Kumar fetched India its lone gold at the 21st President's Cup Boxing Tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia today. Beating Russia's Alexander Malinin, 20-year-old Santhosh won the light welterweight 64kg final 10-8 to clinch his maiden senior international gold medal. He last won a gold at the 2008 Youth Commonwealth Games in Pune. Three other Indian boxers had to settle for bronze. While Jasveer Ahlawat and Lakhbir Singh won bronze in the 81 and 69 kilo bouts respectively, Gaurav Bidhuri was the other Indian bronze-medalist from the event in the light fly weight 49kg semifinals. The four medals this time is a marked improvement from India's performance in the previous edition, in which the country's boxers returned with just a couple of bronze medals. Coach Jagdeep Hooda, who accompanied the team, said the boxers' performance is laudable considering they were up against top quality competitors. The President's Cup Boxing Tournament in Jakarta is being held for the first time after tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004.
News On AIR | July 8, 2011 7:39 PM
Santosh Kumar bags gold in President's Cup