Sonia, Mandeep, Lovlina in final; Shiva grabs bronze at Ulaanbaatar Cup
Ulaanbaatar, June 23 : Indian boxers continued to impress in the Ulaanbaatar Cup with Sonia Lather (57kg), Mandeep Jangra (69kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) advancing to the final of their respective categories even as seasoned Shiva Thapa had to settle for the bronze medal in a mixed first session here on Saturday.
Shiva, a former world bronze medallist and three-time Asian-medallist, lost a close semi-final bout to home favourite Battumur Misheelt in the 60 kilogram category semi-final.
Besides Shiva, Bina Devi Koijam (48kg) also had to satisfy herself with the bronze after losing her semi-final bout in a unanimous verdict to South Korean Kim Kum Sun.
But world silver medallist Sonia kept India's hopes alive after registering a thumping come-from-behind win over Tiantian Zhao of China in a split decision.
After faring poorly in the first round, Sonia made a stunning comeback in the second and third rounds to outpunch the Chinese pugilist and set her date with local favourite Tumurkhuyag Bolortuul in the summit clash.
In the women's 69kg semi-final, Assam girl Lovlina made good use of her height to outpunch local girl Enkhbaatar Erdenetuya, in what turned out to be an one-sided affair.
The lanky Lovlina will next face Chinese Taipei's Nien Chen Chen in her summit clash.
In the men's 69kg semi-final, former CWG silver medallist Mandeep's impactful punches proved lethal for another local favourite Tsend-Ayush Otgon-Erdene.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rocket from Yemen strikes Tel Aviv, injuring 16, as Palestinians mourn 19 dead in Gaza
Tel Aviv, Dec 21: A rocket fired from Yemen hit an area of Tel Aviv overnight, leaving 16 people slightly injured by shattered glass, the Israeli military said Saturday, days after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi rebels who have been launching missiles in solidarity with Palestinians.
A further 14 people sustained minor injuries as they rushed to shelters when air raid sirens sounded before the projectile hit just before 4 am Saturday, the military said.
The Houthi rebels issued a statement on the Telegram messaging app saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.
The attack comes less than two days after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and port city of Hodeida killed at least nine people. The Israeli strikes were in response to a Houthi attack in which a long-range missile hit an Israeli school building. The Houthis also claimed a drone strike targeting an unspecified military target in central Israel on Thursday.
The Israeli military says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and drones during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The Houthis have also been attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and say they won't stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli strikes Thursday caused “considerable damage” to the Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports “that will lead to the immediate and significant reduction in port capacity,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The port at Hodeida has been key for food shipments into Yemen in its decade-long civil war.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said both sides' attacks risk further escalation in the region and undermine UN mediation efforts.
