Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 29: Ace Shiva Thapa of India beat Suleman Baloch of Pakistan in the opening round of the 63.5kg division here on Friday to kick off his Commonwealth Games quest.
The 28-year-old Thapa barely broke a sweat as he easily defeated Baloch 5-0 to go to the light welter weight pre-quarterfinals. Thapa, a five-time medalist at the Asian Championships, had a technical advantage over Baloch and unleashed a barrage of cutting blows on him.
The previous bronze medalist from the world championship successfully defended while dancing around the ring. Baloch attempted to punch the Indian at one point, but Thapa deftly dodged the blow, sending the Pakistani boxer to the floor.
Meanwhile, Alex Yee of England won the men’s triathlon in Birmingham on Friday, earning his country’s first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Following the bike segment, the Olympic silver medalist overcame a 16-second deficit to pass longtime leader Hayden Wilde. Wilde of New Zealand momentarily took back the lead, but as he faced a 10-second penalty, he clapped Yee on the shoulder and waved him on to win the race on his own.
