Five Indian boxers, including the seasoned trio of Vikas Krishan (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg), secured Tokyo Olympic berths on Sunday by advancing to the semifinals of the Asian Qualifiers with mostly commanding victories here.
Satish, Rani, Krishan, Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Ashish Kumar (75kg) became the first set of Indian boxers to qualify for the Olympics.
“I had never fought against this girl before today and honestly, I was a bit scared. I had told my coaches about it before the bout. They instilled confidence in me and I could pull off a one-sided result. I am happy,” said the 29-year-old Rani, who fought career-threatening shoulder and hand injuries before her gold at last year’s Asian Championships.
More to follow…
