COVID-19 case hits Indian boxers in Spanish tourney, three men pull out from final
New Delhi: The Indian men's boxing team's final campaign at the 35th Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain was derailed by a positive COVID-19 case in the side, resulting in three withdrawals from the summit clashes.
Olympic-bound Ashish Kumar (75kg) tested positive for the virus and as a result of being his roommates, Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) were forced to withdraw from the finals on Sunday night.
All three of them ended with silver medals which could have been gold but for the unforeseen circumstances.
"What started as a great competition has ended in an anti-climax," Indian boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told PTI from Castellon.
Ashish is "asymptomatic and is doing fine". He will serve his quarantine in Castellon for two weeks before heading back to India.
Hussamuddin and Sumit have tested negative and are travelling back with the team which will land in Mumbai on Monday.
Also unable to compete in the final was veteran Satish Kumar (+91kg) due to "sickness".
Manish Kaushik (63kg) ended up being the sole gold medal winner for the side, beating Denmark's Nikolai Terteryan in the summit clash to complete a brilliant comeback from a knee injury which kept him out of action for a year.
Among the women, Simranjit Kaur (60kg), who is also bound for the Olympics, was forced out of her final after her semifinal opponent -- Kiria Tapia of Puerto Rico -- tested positive for the virus. The Indian, however, has returned a negative test.
"Because of local government regulations, she could not compete," Indian women's boxing's high performance director Rafaelle Bergamasco said.
Vikas Krishan (69kg) was the only other male boxer to compete on Sunday, losing a gruelling contest to Spain's Youba Sissokho. The Indian was left with a cut above his right eye in the ferocious contest.
In the women's draw, Pooja Rani (75kg) and Jasmine (57kg) also signed off with silver medals after being beaten by superior opponents in American Melissa Graham and Italian Irma Testa respectively.
India's campaign thus ended with one gold, eight silver and one bronze medal that was claimed by six-time world champion M C Mary Kom.
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TMC worker shot dead in Bengal's Malda, two other party men injured
Malda (PTI): In less than a fortnight after a senior Trinamool Congress councillor was murdered in West Bengal's Malda district, a TMC worker was killed and two other party members were injured in a shootout incident in broad daylight in the same region on Tuesday, police said.
Like in the previous incident, police suspected that Tuesday's shootout was also a fallout of the party's infighting.
The deceased was identified as Ataul Haque alias Hasu Sheikh and the two injured are Bakul Sheikh, a TMC local committee president, and Esaruddin Sheikh, a senior officer said.
The incident took place in Kaliaganj area in the morning when the TMC local committee president along with party workers went to a function to inaugurate a road, an officer said.
"One of the party workers who were shot at was declared dead by doctors at the Malda Medical College and Hospital. Two others are undergoing treatment there, and their condition was stated to be critical," he said.
"We are questioning people and witnesses. So far, we have not arrested anyone in this matter," the police officer told PTI.
TMC councillor in Malda Dulal Sarkar was killed on January 2, and seven people have been arrested in this connection.
