Goa’s Shagun Shinde and Chandrika Pujari to fight for gold at the Sub-junior Girls and Boys Nationals on Thursday

After a gap of almost three years, two Goan girls Shagun Shinde (34-36 kgs category) and Chandrika Pujari (42- 44 kgs category) representing team Goa at the ongoing Sub-junior Girls and Boys National Boxing Championship in Bellary, Karnataka have made it to the Finals which will be held on Thursday.

In the semi-finals, Shagun Shinde defeated her opponent from Arunachal Pradesh by a score of 0:5 while Chandrika secured her position in the finals by defeating Rajasthan’s Jai Shri by a similar score of 5:0.

The girls credit their hardwork and coaches’ efforts towards bringing out the best in them for this achievement. “We learnt a lot from the national camp in Goa where we were trained well and received the necessary guidance to improve our game from our coaches,” says Chandrika Pujari who is all set to face Haryana’s Joni in the finals on Thursday. With her eyes set on gold, Shagun Shinde feels that the national camp in Goa helped refine her boxing skills for the championship. “I have learnt a lot from the four bouts that have lead to the final bout that will be held tomorrow. The national camp helped me work and improve upon my skills,” she says. Shagun will go against Maharashtra’s Aarya Garde in the fight for gold on Thursday.

Goa Amateur Boxing Association’s (GABA) coach cum manager, Lavania Kunchi says, “The girls and boys put up a good fight at this year’s nationals. Chandrika and Shagun have done exceptionally well in terms of performance in the last four bouts and they will give their best in the finals. It is their hardwork and dedication that has helped them reach the finals. I am confident that we will bring home two gold medals this time.” Other coaches accompanying the boxers are, Arif Uddin, Purshottam Fadte, Vishwanath Govekar and Nilesh Khandolkar.

Secretary of GABA, Danuska Da Gama feels that it is a good boost to boxing in the state. “Having a one month coaching camp in Goa has been crucial in this result. It feels good to see our sub junior girls doing so well at the nationals after a long time. Out of the 12 boxers who represented Goa at the nationals we had 5 quarter finalists – four girls and one boy this year. I am proud of the efforts of coaches and parents of these boxers,” she says.