Bangladeshi-origin US-based boxer Zinnat Ferdous won the gold medal in the Nelson Mandela Cup International Boxing Competition held in the South African city of Durban on Tuesday.

She clinched the gold medal in the women's 50-kg weight category competition, beating her Ethiopian opponent in the event's final.

Although Zinnat's emergence as a boxer owes mostly to the time she spent growing up in the United States, she took part in the competition as a Bangladeshi competitor, after  Bangladesh Boxing Federation endorsed her entry as Bangladeshi, said general secretary of BBF, Mazharul Islam Tuhin.

Zinnat also represented Bangladesh in the Hangzhou Asian Games in China held in September last year, but  failed to fulfill the expectation of the country.

She was eliminated from the second round of the meet losing to Mongolian rival after getting a bye in the first round.

Four  Bangladeshi boxers - Zinnat, Salim Hossain, Abu Talha,  and Hossain Ali -- will  participate in next month's Olympics qualifying round Boxing Tournament in Thailand.