Asian silver medallist Aditya clinched the men's 55kg gold medal at the World Boxing U-19 Championships in Budva, Montenegro, on Tuesday, capping India's campaign with a hard-fought victory over Russia's Islam Magomedov.

The Indian boxer fought back after narrowly losing the opening round to secure a 4:1 win in the summit clash. Aditya displayed composure and determination under pressure to turn the contest around and claim the world title. He had earlier defeated Azerbaijan's Nihat Gasimov by a unanimous 5:0 verdict in the semifinals to book his place in the gold medal bout.

"I was trailing 3-2 after the first round, but I stepped it up to take the next one 4-1. That's when the belief hit me that I could win this bout," said Aditya after the victory.

The title marked a major achievement for Aditya, who had already demonstrated his potential with a silver medal at the Asian U-19 Championships. His triumph also provided India with a gold medal at the global youth competition.

MEGHA LOSES IN 80KG FINAL

India's hopes of winning a second gold medal were dashed as Megha Sheokand lost 0:5 to Russia's Ekaterina Frolova in the women's 80kg final.

Megha had reached the title clash after an impressive semifinal display against Kyrgyzstan's Meerim Chynybekova. She dominated the contest, forcing the referee to stop the bout in the second round after her opponent received multiple counts. The performance had raised hopes of another gold for India, but she had to settle for silver.

India finished the championships with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Harshika secured bronze in the women's 65kg category, while Prachi Tokas claimed the other bronze in the women's 80+kg division.

Aditya's gold medal and Megha's silver highlighted India's campaign in Budva, with the two bronze medals adding to the country's overall tally at the championships.

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