Nitu Ghanghas: The new poster girl of Indian boxing
With a flourishing career in the youth category, the 22-year-old Nitu Ghanghas is one of the quickest boxers in her category. On Saturday, she scripted history as the Haryana girl won the gold medal for India at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championship, here.
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) With a flourishing career in the youth category, the 22-year-old Nitu Ghanghas is one of the quickest boxers in her category. On Saturday, she scripted history as the Haryana girl won the gold medal for India at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championship, here.
Below is her profile:
- Nitu (48 kg)
- Date of Birth: 19-10-2000
- Place of Birth: Bhiwani, Haryana
- Style: Southpaw
Dynamic and instrumental inside the ring, the Haryana pugilist marked her arrival by winning the gold medal at the World Youth Boxing Championships in Guwahati in 2017. She showed her prowess on the big stage once more by winning the gold medal at the World Youth Boxing Championships in Budapest in 2018.
Coming from a conservative family, there was little scope that she could enter the world of sports. But her father had other plans: he wanted her to become a boxer.
However, Nitu's father Jai Bhagwan had to go against the wishes of the entire family to make that happen; he also had to take leave from his office (a Chandigarh Vidhan Sabha employee) for three long years. It meant that the family went through a severe financial crisis. That only prompted Nitu to put her heart and soul into boxing and emerge a winner.
She slowly rose through the ranks at the district level until she caught the eye of renowned boxing coach Jagdish Singh, the tough taskmaster who helped Vijender Singh win the Beijing Olympic bronze medal.
Nitu's skills and techniques were quickly honed and she went on to represent the State and won her first Nationals in 2015. Since then, she has never looked back.
In 2022, she won the gold medal at Strandja Memorial tournament before finishing in the quarter-finals of World Championships in Turkey in May. She dominated all her bouts and won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
On Saturday, she won a gold medal at the 2023 IBA World Boxing Championship in Delhi.
Achievements:
- 2023: Gold at World Championships, Delhi
- 2022: Gold at Commonwealth Games, Birmingham
- 2022: Gold at Strandja Memorial tournament, Bulgaria
- 2021: Gold at Senior National Championship, Bhopal
- 2018: Youth Women World Championships, Budapest, Hungary: Gold
- 2018: Golden Glove of Vojvodina Youth Men & Women Boxing Tournament; Serbia: Gold
- 2018: Youth Women Nationals; Rohtak: Gold
- 2018: Asian Youth Championships; Bangkok: Gold
- 2017: Women's Youth World Boxing Championships; Guwahati: Gold
- 2017: Balkan Youth International Boxing Championship; Sofia, Bulgaria: Gold
- 2016: Youth Women Nationals: Bronze
