With all of the tumult over boxing governance and its possible elimination from the Olympic program, a national hero came through with a record-setting gold medal in the AIBA Women’s World Championships in New Delhi (IND).
India’s Mary Kom, now 35, a Member of Parliament, and a mother of three, had won World Champion golds in 2002-05-06-08-10 in the Light Flyweight division, now limited to 48 kg (~105.8 lbs.). She had a London 2012 bronze at 51 kg (~112.4 lbs.), but had not medaled on the world stage since.
But she was all business in front of her home fans, dominating the competition with sweeps – 5:0 on the judges cards – in three consecutive bouts to reach the final. She then scored another 5:0 sweep over Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota to claim her seventh World Championships medal and sixth gold, both records in the history of the AIBA Women’s World Championships, which dates back to 2001.
In fact, Kom’s seven medals equals the most ever in the AIBA Worlds; the most in the men’s division is also seven by Cuba’s Felix Savon (91 kg) from 1986-99.
The only 2016 champion to defend her title was China’s Xiaoli Yang at +81 kg. Ireland’s Kellie Harrington moved up from silver to gold in the 60 kg division, and Stoyka Petrova (BUK: 54 kg) and Nouchka Fontijn (NED: 75 kg) repeated as silver medal winners.
The U.S. earned three medals, all bronzes, down from five in 2016. Virginia Fuchs (51 kg), Naomi Graham (75 kg) and Danielle Perkins (+81 kg) were the American medal winners.
China won the overall medal count with five, including four golds and a silver, to finish ahead of India (4: 1-1-2) and North Korea (3: 1-0-2), Turkey (3: 0-1-2) and the United States (3: 0-0-3). Summaries:
AIBA Women’s World Championships
New Delhi (IND) ~ 15-24 November 2018
(Full results here)
-48 kg: 1. Mary Kom (IND); 2. Hanna Okhota (UKR); 3. Madoka Wada (JPN) and Hyang Mi Kim (PRK). Semis: Okhota decisioned Wada (JPN), 5:0; Kom (IND) decisioned Kim, 5:0. Final: Kom dec. Okhota, 5:0.
-51 kg: 1. Choi Mi Pang (PRK); 2. Zhaina Shekerbekova (KAZ); 3. Tsukimi Namiki (JPN) and Virginia Fuchs (USA). Semis: Shekerbekova decisioned Namiki, 5:0; Pang decisioned Fuchs, 5:0. Final: Pang dec. Shekerbekova, 5:0.
-54 kg: 1. Yu-Ting Lin (TPE); 2. Stoyka Petrova (BUL); 3. Nandintsetseg Myagmardulam (MGL) and Kristy Lee Harris (AUS). Semis: Petrova decisioned Myagmardulam, 5:0; Lin decisioned Harris, 5:0. Final: Lin dec. Petrova, 4:1.
-57 kg: 1. Ornella Wahner (GER); 2. Sonia (IND); 3. Son Hwa Jo (PRK) and Jemyma Betrian (NED). Semis: Sonia decisioned Jo, 5:0; Wahner decisioned Betrian, 5:0. Final: Wahner dec. Sonia, 4:1.
-60 kg: 1. Kellie Harrington (IRL); 2. Sudaporn Seedondee (THA); 3. Yeonji Oh (KOR) and Karina Ibragimova (KAZ). Semis: Seedondee decisioned Oh, 4:1; Harrington (IRL) decisioned Ibragimova, 5:0. Final: Harrington dec. Seedondee, 3:2.
-64 kg: 1. Dan Dou (CHN); 2. Mariia Bova (UKR); 3. Sema Caliskan (TUR) and Simranjit Kaur (IND). Semis: Bova decisioned Caliskan, 4:1; Dou decisioned Kaur, 4:1. Final: Dou dec. Bova, 5:0.
-69 kg: 1. Nien-Chin Chen (TPE); 2. Hong Gu (CHN); 3. Lovlina Borgohain (IND) and Nadine Apetz (GER). Semis: Chen decisioned Borgohain, 4:0; Gu decisioned Apetz, 4:1. Final: Chen dec. Gu, 3:2.
-75 kg:1. Nouchka Fontijn (NED); 2. Qian Li (CHN); 3. Lauren Price (WAL) and Naomi Graham (USA). Semis: Fontijn decisioned Price, 3:2; Li decisioned Graham, 5:0. Final: Fontijn dec. Li, 4:1.
-81 kg: 1. Lina Wang (CHN); 2. Jessica Sinisterra (COL); 3. Viktoria Kebikava (BLR) and Elif Guneri (TUR). Semis: Sinisterra decisioned Kebikava, 4:1; Wang decisioned Guneri, 4:1. Final: Wang dec. Sinisterra, 5:0.
+81 kg: 1. Xiaoli Yang (CHN); 2. Sennur Demir (TUR); 3. Danielle Perkins (USA) and Kristina Tkacheva (RUS). Semis: Yang decisioned Perkins, walkover; Demir decisioned Tkacheva, 5:0. Final: Wang d. Demir, 5:0.
