World Boxing Championship: Indian boxer Manju Rani secures Silver medal at debut event
Ulan-Ude (Russia): Indian boxer Manju Rani's stupendous debut run at the Women's World Championships ended with a silver medal on Sunday after she lost the light flyweight (48kg) final to Russia's Ekaterina Paltceva here.
The Haryana-boxer, who was seeded sixth, went down 1-4 to the second-seeded local favourite in the first final of the day. Rani, who turns 20 on Saturday, was the lone Indian to make the finals after six-time champion M C Mary Kom (51kg), Jamuna Boro (54kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) settled for bronze medals. In case of Borgohain, it was her second successive third-place finish.
There was very little separating Rani and her rival, both of whom looked to attack in the first round. The Russian stood out for her near perfect left hooks in the opening three minutes.
In the second round, the Indian connected some good straights and seemed to have the upperhand over the crowd favourite.
The proceedings slowed down in the final three minutes when both the boxers adopted a cautious approach. There was quite a bit of holding, requiring the referee's intervention quite a few times.
However, at the end of it the Russian emerged victorious perhaps for her a shade sharper reflexes. The Indian contingent was however visibly upset after the Paltceva's hand was raised as the victor.
Rani broke into the national camp only this year by winning the national crown for Punjab after not getting the selection nod in Haryana.
Earlier this year, she won a silver medal on debut at the prestigious Strandja Memorial Tournament, one of Europe's oldest and most competitive boxing events.
Rani hails from Rithal Phogat village in th
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ILNA reports former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad killed in strikes
Tehran: Iran’s ILNA News Agency has reported that former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed during the ongoing US and Israeli attacks.
According to ILNA, Ahmadinejad was killed following strikes in Tehran’s Narmak district, including an attack on his residence. The report said he died along with his bodyguards.
News of the deaths of three of Ahmadinejad’s bodyguards was released on February 28, coinciding with the first day of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
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Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s president from 2005 to 2013. He was widely known internationally for his hardline rhetoric against Israel and for accelerating Iran’s nuclear programme during his tenure. At home, his disputed re-election in 2009 led to the “Green Movement” protests across the country.
In recent years, Ahmadinejad had positioned himself as a populist critic of the current ruling establishment, though he continued to serve as a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, the body currently involved in helping shape temporary leadership arrangements.
