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Indian boxer Mandengbam Jadumani Singh vowed to go one step further and fight for gold after assuring himself of at least a bronze medal by storming into the men's 55kg semifinals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday night.
The Manipur pugilist defeated Zambia's Mwale by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals to book his place in the last four, guaranteeing India another boxing medal as both losing semifinalists receive bronze at the Commonwealth Games. Reflecting on his performance, Jadumani told ANI, "I will do even better in the upcoming semi-finals and get the gold for India. Today it was a tough fight. But I knew that I had more power than him, but he used to punch more. I will dedicate the medal to my uncle who has brought me here." Jadumani had to weather an aggressive start from the Zambian boxer, who relied on quick combinations in a closely contested opening round. Despite the early pressure, the Indian edged the first round 4-1 on the judges' scorecards, as per ESPN. From the second round onwards, however, Jadumani took complete control of the contest with disciplined tactics, sharp footwork and clean scoring punches. He swept the second round unanimously before maintaining his dominance in the final three minutes. The judges awarded the bout 30-27 on three scorecards and 29-28 on the remaining two, confirming Jadumani's place in the semifinals and extending India's impressive run in boxing at the Glasgow Games. India boxing coach Hari Kishan Belwal also praised Jadumani and said, "The medal is confirmed, but we are expecting gold from him. The quarterfinal bout is the toughest. But looking at his body language and confidence, we are confident that he will win the bout." His victory capped a successful day for the Indian boxing contingent, with Preeti Pawar and Priya Ghanghas also advancing to the semifinals in their respective categories to assure the country of two more medals. Preeti secured her place in the women's 54kg semifinals with a commanding 5-0 victory over Nicole Clyde, while reigning Asian champion Priya Ghanghas fought back from a slow start to defeat Scotland's Niamh Mitchell in the women's 60kg quarterfinal. Jadumani's medal will add to India's growing tally at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where the country has continued to deliver strong performances across disciplines, particularly in boxing, weightlifting and athletics. India has enjoyed a strong campaign in Glasgow, winning 12 medals so far -- two gold, seven silver and three bronze. India's medallists are Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women's shot put F57), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Sarvesh Kushare (silver, men's high jump), Gulveer Singh (silver, 10,000m), Harjinder Kaur (silver, weightlifting), Valluri Ajaya Babu (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting), Shilpa K. Shyla (bronze, women's shot put F57) and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting). (ANI)
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