Boxing: Amit Panghal becomes first Indian to enter world championship finals
Ekaterinburg (Russia): Asian champion Amit Panghal (52kg) on Friday became the first Indian to make the finals of the World Men's Boxing Championships after he defeated Kazakhstan's Saken Bibossinov in the last-four stage here.
Second-seeded Panghal prevailed 3-2 in an exhausting bout to make the summit clash. He will take on Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov on Saturday. Zoirov defeated Frenchman Billal Bennama in his semifinal showdown.
Panghal's rise has been nothing short of spectacular in Indian boxing ever since he claimed a 49kg category bronze in the 2017 Asian Championships.
He was a quarterfinalist at the world championship on debut in the same year, went on to win consecutive gold medals at the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria, before becoming the Asian Games champion in 2018.
This year, he already has the Asian Championships gold to his credit after moving to the 52kg category following the dropping of 49kg from the Olympic roster to accommodate more women's divisions in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
India had never won more than one bronze medal in a single edition of the world championships but Panghal and Manish Kaushik (63kg) changed that by making the semifinals.
The past Indian medal-winners at the world meet are Vijender Singh (2009), Vikas Krishan (2011), Shiva Thapa (2015) and Gaurav Bidhuri (2017).
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Sameer Ahmed elected President of SKMWA Muscat for 2026–2027
Muscat: Sameer Ahmed, a native of Udupi and currently employed in a private company in Muscat, has been elected President of the South Kanara Muslim Welfare Association (SKMWA), Muscat, for the 2026–2027 term.
The election was conducted during the association’s Annual General Body Meeting held at Al Reef Hotel, Muscat, in the presence of chief guests Adil Shaikh, Monabba, Shareef, and Sahebzada Mehmood.
The newly elected office bearers include Vice Presidents Mohd Arif (Udupi) and Niyaz Mohammed (Mangalore), General Secretary Jaseem Basha (Kundapura), Joint Secretaries Rizwan Ali (Udupi) and Zaheer Hussain (Moodbidri), Treasurer Tajuddin Sheikh (Tonse), Assistant Treasurer Irfan Ahmed (Udyavara), Finance Secretary Mohammed Asif Gafur (Karkala), Assistant Finance Secretary Mohammed Akif Gafoor (Karkala), and Auditor Ashraf Ali (Kaup).
The Core Committee includes Event Coordinators Ansar Katipalla and Adil Moodbidri, and Sports Coordinators Ashpak Basrur and Muneer Ahmed (Sastan).
The programme commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Zaid Asif. The Annual Activity Report for 2025 was presented by Sameer Ahmed, while the financial report was delivered by Mohammed Asif Gafoor and verified by Auditor Ashraf Ali.
Former president Azim was felicitated by Syed Mohiddin Saheb during the event.
The meeting concluded with an address by the newly elected president, followed by a vote of thanks proposed by General Secretary Jaseem Basha. The programme was coordinated by Syed Mohiddin Saheb (Sastan) and Ansar Katipalla.
