Nagpur’s Alfiya wins elite national boxing gold

Nagpur: Star Nagpur pugilist Alfiya Pathan became the first Maharashtra boxer to win a gold medal in the senior section of the Elite National Boxing Championship, held at Gautam Buddha University, Noida.Representing Indian Railways, Alfiya blanked Manjit Kaur of Punjab in the 80+ kg weight category final 5-0 to emerge champion. The championship in various weight categories took place in Noida from January 4 to 10.Alfiya, a Central Railway employee, started her campaign with a facile victory over Odisha's Shyama. Alfiya won the pre-quarterfinal opening round by RSC (Referee Stopped the Contest).In the quarterfinal, Alfiya prevailed over Delhi's Shivani 5-0, and made light work of Ritika from Haryana with an identical margin in the semifinals. Alfiya continued her winning momentum and made light work of Manjit Kaur without conceding a single point, to bring home the elusive gold medal.Alfiya gave the credit for her success to coaches Ganesh Purohit, Girish Pawar, and Central Railway's coach Manoj Kumar. As a youngster, Alfiya used to train under the guidance of Ganesh Purohit at Mankapur Sports Complex.On her arrival in the city on Sunday, members of the Nagpur District and Nagpur City Boxing Association congratulated Alfiya and extended their best wishes for future endeavours.