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Mary Kom lifts record 6th gold at Boxing Worlds, Sonia adds silver lining (Second Lead)
New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) India’s Sonia Chahal added the silver lining to the home campaign after M.C. Mary Kom’s record sixth gold at the 10th AIBA women’s boxing World Championships at the K.D.Jadhav indoor hall here on Saturday.
Sonia went down 1:4 by split decision to Germany’s Ornella Gabriele Wahner in the 57 kg featherweight category on Saturday.
Sonia’s bout looked a one-sided affair in favour of the German, who came in with a flurry of punches towards the end of the opening round to dominate the proceedings.
It was always going to be a tough outing for the debutant Indian, who failed to use her taller height as an advantage as the German began on an attacking note, with a few left-and-right combos before pinning Sonia to the corner of the ring more than once to end with a few left-handed jabs.
With the tie already slipping out of her grasp, the third round was a do-or-die for the Indian, who was shaken up by a jab on her nose and then a right hook as the German continued her flurry of punches to end on a victorious note.
Sonia’s silver brought India’s campaign at the World Championship to an end with the hosts ending with 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze.
Earlier on Saturday, Mary scripted history by clinching a record sixth World Championship Gold medal in the light flyweight 48 kilogram category after outclassing Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota by an unanimous 5:0 verdict.
The 35-year-old Mary, a mother of three and a pre-tournament favourite for the gold, rewrote the record books when she eclipsed her joint haul of five golds with Katie Taylor of Ireland.
The Manipuri pugilist, who went over her weight category to clinch a 51 kg bronze at the London Olympics, previously clinched the World Championship gold on five occasions — 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 — besides bagging a silver on her debut in 2001.
Welcomed by thunderous chants of “Mary Mary” at the jampacked K.D. Jadhav hall, the Indian took the ring with a statistical and psychological advantage over her Ukrainian opponent, whom she recently beat at the Silesian Women’s Open semi-finals in Poland.
Living up to the reputation, Mary started the opening round aggressively and landed a couple of right jabs quite early into the round before taking full control with a right-two punch combination to Hanna.
However, towards the end of the first round, the Ukrainian managed to get a shot at Mary’s face before the Indian wrestled Okhota to the ground. Mary appeared unshakable throughout and ended the round with a few jabs and a right-hand, left-hand combo.
The Indian came back with more aggression in the second round, and started with a powerful hook with her right and then doubled the attack with two quick right jabs to leave her opponent rattled.
A left-handed flick from Okhota pushed Mary backwards but towards the end of the round, the Indian delivered a perfect right hook to inch closer to another gold.
The third and decisive round began with the Manipuri pugilist delivering a right-handed jab, and following it up with a right-hand, left-hand combo that completely demoralised Okhota.
Mary then sealed the gold in her favour with another combination of punches, and a few shots at Okhota’s face leading the crowd to erupt in joy when the referees announced the unanimous 5:0 verdict in the Indian’s favour.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.