Indian boxer Vikas Krishan who won a gold medal at Strandja, Bulgaria, was adjudged as the best boxer of the tournament – a first for an Indian. The 26-year-old defeated world championships bronze-medallist Troy Isley of the USA in the middle-weight (75kg) finals to claim his first medal since the Asian Championships bronze last year. It was big turnaround for Vikas, who had not just been laid low by a hand injury but had also found himself in the disciplinary line of fire after giving a walkover in his Asian Championships semifinal last year.
"It is a big comeback for me and I feel I am a much stronger boxer now. Maintaining my weight at an optimum level, which used to be a problem earlier, is no longer an issue for me. I have also improved my technique and endurance," Vikas said.
Along with Vikas, Amit Panghal (49kg) claimed a gold medal, rounding off India's best ever performance at the tournament. The country ended with 11 medals - five from men and six from women boxers. In all, the contingent clinched two gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
Vikas, the former Asian Games gold medal winner, who is also a world championships bronze-medallist, said he also cleared some mental cobwebs to get back in form. Finishing with silver medals were M C Mary Kom (48kg), who got a raw deal in the final, Seema Poonia (+81kg) and Gaurav Solanki (52kg). The bronze medal winners among the women were Meena Kumari Devi (54kg), L Sarita Devi (60kg), Saweety Boora (75kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg). Among the men, last edition's silver-medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg), and former Asian Games bronze-medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg) ended in third position.
