Nikhat, Lovlina on course for CWG berth
USA withdrew from Russian-led International Boxing Association and is set to join the breakaway federation.
Amit Panghal, a World Championships silver medallist, out-punched Namri Berri of Vanuatu via an unanimous verdict.
Nitu beat Italy's Erika Prisciandaro, a former Youth World Championship bronze-medallist, 5-0, while Zareen outpunched Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist, 4-1.
Zareen was no match for her young opponent as she dominated the bout from start to finish
Vanshaj was also beaten 0-5 by Yernur Suyunbay of Kazakhstan in his summit clash.
The Haryana-boxer went down 1-4 to the second-seeded local favourite in the first final of the day.
Mary Kom fought back in the final three minutes but that was not enough to get the judges' nod.
It was a stunning loss for Panghal, who had won a gold medal in the Cologne World Cup a couple of months back. The 23-year-old ended up paying for his rather weak defence in the bout against Escobar.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina's World Championship campaign in the 70 kg category came to an early end after a disappointing loss in the pre-quarterfinals.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Neeraj Chopra will be awarded Rs 1 crore cash grant while his coach Klaus Bartonietz and Physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha will be awarded Rs 10 lakh each.
'There's no going back in time, but I hope those who ignored, downplayed, and appeased Putin for so long feel some shame today. Enough at least to do everything possible to stop him now.'
Shiva Thapa will next face Nader Odah of Kuwait in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
In other India-related news, Manish Kaurav (KL3 men 200m) and Manjeet Singh (VL2 men 200m) made it to the finals of their respective events for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Also ending with a bronze was tournament debutant and national champion Varinder Singh (60kg) after a high-intensity clash against Iran's Daniyal Shahbakhsh. The Indian lost 2-3 after fighting his heart out.
'At school, on August 15, the Indian flag was raised. There was no national anthem at that time and we sang Rise India Thy Millions Lead,' recalls military legend Major General Ian Cardozo (retd).
Celebrated boxer M C Mary Kom will be conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian award, while world champion shuttler P V Sindhu will get the Padma Bhushan among eight sportspersons named for the prestigious honours on Saturday. She is one of seven eminent personalities to be awarded the Padma Vibhushan this year.
A resolute Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) advanced to the finals with impressive victories but the legendary M C Mary Kom (51kg) and world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) settled for bronze medals at the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers, in Amman, on Tuesday. Also ending with bronze medals were Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg). All the six boxers have already secured their tickets to the Olympic Games by making the semi-finals but Krishan and Kaur will come back with at least silver medals after entering the finals.
In the women's draw, world silver-medallist Sonia Chahal (57kg) advanced to the last-four stage at the continental showpiece.
'Everyone wants to get involved when there is success.' 'But what about guaranteeing it?' 'Making sure girls have the opportunity to succeed all the time?'
Eight men and five women from India will be aiming to secure Tokyo Olympics berths at the continental event being conducted by the International Olympic Committee's Boxing Task Force. The Indian hopes will be spearheaded by Panghal and Mary Kom, both proven and consistent performers on the big stage.
Top seed Vikas Krishan (75kg) and fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) were among the four Indian boxers who qualified for the World Championships and assured themselves of medals by advancing to the Asian Championships semi-finals, in Tashkent, on Wednesday.
As the curtains come down at the Tokyo Olympics, here's a glance at the medallists and those who came within touching distance of glory.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
How India's athletes fared on Day 1 of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Iconic Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom added another honour to her list of accolades as she was named one of the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
2019 became a 'Year to Remember' in Indian sports for trailblazing performances in Olympic disciplines
The pint-sized dynamo from Rohtak became the first Indian male boxer to claim a silver medal at the World Championships, which concluded in Ekaterinburg, Russia on Saturday.
Indian boxers L Devendro Singh (49kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) fought gamely, but eventually ran out of steam against fancied opponents and bowed out in the quarter-finals, at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. Having secured Olympic berths after reaching the quarter-finals, the Indians were aiming for medals at the mega event.
Both the boxers stuck to a defensive approach but Rani was the more accurate of the two.
Heptathlete Swapna Barman added a dash of heroism to her historic gold medal
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
These athletes made India proud four years ago.
Indian swimming sensation Virdhawal Khade set a new Commonwealth Youth Games record in the 50m freestyle en route to the gold on Friday. Apart from Khade's gold, India also earned a bronze, courtesy Aaron D'Souza in the 200m butterfly.
Five-time chess world champion Anand and nine-time world champion Sethi will be mentoring the high-profile athletes signed up by Olympic Gold Quest, who are looking to improve India's showing from the last Games in London when they won six medals.
'Shooting is number one.' 'Archery, wrestling, badminton and boxing.' 'These are the five where we stand the best chance of winning a medal.'
T20 World Cup-winning cricketer Joginder Sharma, Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning boxer Akhil Kumar and Asian Games champion kabaddi player Ajay Thakur are all full-time police officers, jobs which they got thanks to their sporting accomplishments.
M C Mary Kom pulled no punches as she lambasted critics and challengers after securing her second Olympic appearance. Her reference was to the selection controversy that preceded the qualifiers when former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen sought Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju's intervention while demanding a trial bout against the Manipuri. The ill-tempered and hyped trial bout was won by Mary Kom.
