Sonia joins Mary Kom in final, Simranjit settles for bronze

TIL Desk Sports/ Unheralded Sonia Chahal stormed into the finals of Women’s World Boxing Championships by outclassing her North Korean opponent Jo Son Hwa but Simranjit Kaur had to settle for a bronze after losing the semifinal bout, in New Delhi, on Friday.

The 21-year-old Sonia, who began competing at the senior level only since 2016, registered a unanimous 5-0 win over her more fancied North Korean opponent, a silver medallist in the Jakrata Asian Games, in the 57kg semifinals to reach the final in her debut World Championships.

The rookie boxer joins Mary Kom (48kg) in Saturday’s finals. Simranjit lost to fleet-footed Chinese Dan Dou, a silver medallist in the Asian Championships last year, on a split 4-1 decision in the 64kg semifinals. The 23-year-old Simranjit was also participating in her first World Championships.

Sonia now faces Wahner Ornella Gabriele of Germany in the final on Saturday. The Haryana boxer can fancy her chances as Gabriele does not have a big reputation. Seeking a historic sixth gold, Mary Mom will take on Ukrain’s Hanna Okhota in the 48kg summit bout on Saturday.