Fearless Preeti wins Olympic quota, three boxers assure medals

Hangzhou: Indian boxer Preeti Pawar secured a quota for the Paris Olympics and also assured herself of a medal along with Lovlina Borgohain and Narender as they moved into the semifinals of the Asian Games here on

Saturday.

The 19-year-old Preeti Pawar put up a fearless display against Kazakhstan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova, a three-time World Championship medallist and reigning Asian champion, to eke out a 4-1 win in a fiercely fought 54kg quarterfinal bout.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who received a first round bye, used her long reach to expectedly defeat South Korea’s Seong Suyeon by a 5-0 unanimous decision in the women’s 75 kg

category.

Narender (92kg) also notched a win by a similar margin over Iman Ramezanpour Delavar of Iran to move to the last four stage.

Lovlina and Narendra are now a win away from earning an Olympic quota.

Sachin Siwach moved to the 57kg quarterfinals after he received a walkover from Kuwait’s Turki Abuquthailah. However, it was end of the road for World Championship bronze medallist

Nishant Dev. He lost 0-5 to 2021 world champion Sewon Okazawa.