Sarita Devi knocked out

Ulan-Ude (Russia): Former champion L Sarita Devi (60kg) was on Sunday knocked out of the World Women’s Boxing Championships after being upstaged by Russia’s Natalia Shadrina on a disappointing day for India here. The fourth seed, who got a first-round bye, frittered away a strong start to bow out with a 0-5 loss. There was more disappointment for the country when in the last bout of the day, debutant Nandini (81kg) proved to be no match for Germany’s Irina-Nicoletta Schonberger and was out-punched 0-5. Sarita, a gold-medallist in the 2006 New Delhi edition of the showpiece, was chasing her maiden world medal in over a decade. The Manipuri, who is also a multiple-time Asian champion, was in control in the opening three minutes, logging more punches against a seemingly withdrawn opponent. However, Shadrina fought back in the next two rounds and surprised Sarita to get the judges’ nod. (PTI)