World champion Nikhat Zareen beats Carly McNaul to win her maiden gold medal at CWG

Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen lived up to the expectations at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 as she clinched her maiden gold medal at the Games on Sunday (August 07). The ace Indian boxer defeated Northern Ireland’s Carly McNaul in the final of the women’s 50kg category to return home with a gold medal for the country.

Zareen was a no match for McNaul as she continued her dominant run at the Games this year. The reigning world champion won the final 5-0 via unanimous decision to finish on top of the podium and clinch India’s 4th gold medal of the day at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

her way to glory! @nikhat_zareen does it in style with a medal in the Women’s Boxing Light Flyweight category @birminghamcg22 #EkIndiaTeamIndia #B2022 pic.twitter.com/el8ZWwHhNK

— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) August 7, 2022

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Zareen was the favourite heading into the final against veteran McNaul having won all her bouts clinically by the margin of 5-0 via unanimous decisions. She continued her stellar run in the final and was dominant right from the start launching an all-out attack against McNaul.

Also Read: PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen storm into finals, to battle it out for maiden gold at Commonwealth Games

Zareen managed a 10-9s across the board from the judges in the first round and repeated the feat in the second where all the judges once again voted in her favour. She eventually won the final 5-0 to complete a hat-trick of gold medals this year. The Indian ace had won gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament and World Championships earlier this year.

Zareen’s gold extended India’s brilliant run in boxing at the Commonwealth Games this year. Her gold medal on Sunday was the third gold won by an Indian boxer at the Games. Earlier on Sunday, India’s Amit Panghal and Nitu Ghangas won a gold medal each in their respective categories.

Also Read: Indian boxer Amit Panghal thrashes Kiaran Macdonald to clinch gold in men’s 51kg at CWG 2022

While Panghal defeated England’s Kiaran Macdonald in the men’s 51 kg final to better his silver from the Gold Coast Games in 2018, Ghangas got the better of England’s Demie-Jade Resztan in the women’s 48kg category to clinch her maiden gold medal at the Games.