Prasad strikes gold at Finnish tourney

The 17-year-old put up a sterling performance against Bateson to emerge victorious and bag his first International medal.

But the other Indian in the fray in the finals, Dheeraj Singh (52kg) had to make do with a silver medal after losing out to Elie Konki of France.

Prasad made his place in the finals after ousting Welsh boxer Ashley Williams in the semi-finals in what was a spirited performance by the services boxer.

In the finals, Bateson, a European Youth Championship quarter-finalist, did not allow the Indian to set the early pace.

After the opening three minutes of play both the boxers ended up with three points apiece. In the second round though, Prasad managed to penetrate the sound defence of English boxers with his cracking combinations (8-7).

 

In the final round, he launched an all-out offensive taking the game away from his opponent. Prasad won his first international gold medal with an overall score of 14-10.

"It was a tough fight but I stuck to my strategy and played my natural game and in the end it paid off pretty well. It was a proud moment for me to hear the national anthem being played at the medal ceremony," stated Prasad after winning the title. MORE