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Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary vowed to "change the colour of the medal to gold" after she advanced to the women's 51kg semifinals at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after defeating Northern Ireland's Caitlyn Fryers with a dominant unanimous 5-0 decision in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Sakshi, who came into the Games in good form after moving back to the 51kg category and beating top Indian boxers during the trials, controlled the bout with a composed performance. She won all three rounds by identical 5-0 margins, using her movement and accurate punches to keep Fryers under pressure, according to ESPN. The victory also assured Sakshi of a Commonwealth Games medal. She will now face Canada's Amber-Jane Wall in the semifinal on Friday for a place in the gold medal bout. Speaking to ANI, Sakshi said her aim is now to change the colour of the medal she assured to gold. She added that she will focus on staying calm and giving her best in the next bout, while dedicating the achievement to India, her family, coaches and supporters. "The colour needs to change, but achieving this milestone was also very important. After this, there will be a little less pressure. Now I just have to change the colour of the medal to gold, and I want to win a gold medal for India. My focus will be to stay calm and play my game to the fullest," she said. "I would like to dedicate my medal to the whole of India, who supported me to reach here, my family, all the coaches, and everyone else," she added. Earlier, Sakshi had defeated Botswana's Lethabo Modukanele in the previous round to book her quarterfinal spot. India has enjoyed a successful 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, men's 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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