Sakshi stuns world champion Meenakshi to secure 51kg India berth for CWG, Asiad

PATIALA — Sakshi Chaudhary, who defeated two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen in the semifinal of the national boxing trials, made the cut for the Indian team for the  Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games to be held in Japan later this year. 

She defeated the reigning world and Asian champion in the 48kg division, Meenakshi Hooda, who moved up to 51kg, in the final here at NIS Patiala on Friday. Sakshi, who won gold in the 54 kg category at the 2025 World Boxing Cup in Astana, dropped down to 51 kg for the trials.

The boxer who loses the final will be selected for the World Boxing Cup in Guiyang, China, from June 15 to 20, while the winner earns quotas for the two quadrennial events.

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Earlier, Sakshi stunned Nikhat, who won the World Championships twice and gold in the Commonwealth Games and bronze in the Asian Games, while Meenakshi knocked out former world champion Neetu Ghanghas.

The 51kg category will have a new representative from the country top stars; Nikhat and Nitu crashed out.

Nikhat was forced to take part in the trials after she failed to secure a direct entry during last month's Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She had reached the semifinals in the continental meet but went down tamely 0-5 to China’s Wu Yu, the reigning Olympic gold medallist.

Moreover, Sachin Siwach (men's 60kg), Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) and Priya Ghanghas (women's 60kg) qualified for both the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games after reaching the finals of the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar.

Jaismine Lamboria (women's 57kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (women's 70kg) secured qualification for the Commonwealth Games only, as their weight categories are not part of the Asian Games programme.