A Decisive Victory in Nagoya
Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary secured a unanimous 5-0 victory over Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aira Villegas of the Philippines in the women's 51kg round of 32 at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Tuesday. The bout took place at the Nishio Gymnasium, where all five judges awarded Chaudhary a 10-9 score in each round. The 26-year-old from Bhiwani leveraged her height and reach advantage to keep Villegas at a distance from the opening bell. After a cautious start, Chaudhary used her jab to dictate the pace throughout the round-of-32 contest.[S1][S2]
Chaudhary raised her intensity in the second round, landing a series of punches as Villegas struggled to match her speed and movement. The Filipino southpaw managed a few counter left hooks and increased her output in the final round, but the effort came too late. All five judges gave Chaudhary a perfect 10 in every round, sealing a dominant win. The victory marks a significant upset and propels Chaudhary into the pre-quarterfinals of the tournament.[S1]
From Commonwealth Gold to Asian Games Test
Chaudhary's win extends an impressive run in the 51kg category. She dropped down from 54kg in May and defeated two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen in the selection trial. A former junior and youth world champion, Chaudhary won gold at the Commonwealth Games last month, defeating England's Ruby White 5-0 in the final. She also has a World Boxing Cup gold to her name. In the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games 2026, she beat Nikhat Zareen in the semifinal and reigning world champion Minakshi Hooda in the final to earn her spot.[S1][S2][S3]
Chaudhary has spoken about the motivation she draws from representing India, saying that playing for her country gives her the strength to keep improving with every bout. She also said she would immediately begin preparing for the Asian Games after the Commonwealth Games, aiming to use the lessons from those matches to improve her performance in Japan. Now, she will face a much tougher test in the pre-quarterfinals against current 51kg world champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan on Thursday.[S2]
Other Results for India on Tuesday
In other boxing action, Jadumani Singh was scheduled to face Nepal's Chandra Bahadur Thapa in the men's 55kg round of 32. India's men's kabaddi team defeated South Korea 63-31 in their Group A encounter. In swimming, Rishabh Das, Akash Mani, Benediction Beniston and Dhanush Suresh qualified for the men's 4x100m medley relay final after finishing seventh overall in the heats. Aryan Nehra finished fourth in the men's 1500m freestyle final B. Shooters Elavenil Valarivan and Parth Mane finished fourth in the 10m air rifle mixed team final after placing second in qualification.[S3]
In soft tennis, Jay Meena beat Pakistan's Hussain Arain 4-0 in men's singles Group D, while Aadhya Tiwari lost 1-4 to Thailand's Alisha Ziegler in women's singles Group D. Chetan Bhatt lost his men's 84kg kumite bronze medal bout, and Alisha Choudhary exited the women's -55kg kumite competition after a 1-6 defeat to Indonesia's Cok Istri Agung Sanistyarani in the round of 16. India also lost 0-3 to Malaysia in the men's team Regu Group B sepaktakraw competition. Langlentombi Devi Hanjabam placed ninth in the women's Nanquan final in wushu. In fencing, Sachin and Hemash Singh finished fourth in Pool 1 and Pool 5, respectively, in men's individual foil. In equestrian dressage, Ashish Limaye riding Willy Be Dun finished 13th, Arjan Nagra on Cooley Goodwood placed 23rd, and Fouaad Mirza with Camouflage 38 finished 26th.[S3]
