Asian Games, boxing: Preeti secures Olympic berth, Lovlina assures medal
Indian female boxers continued their sensational run at the 2023 Asian Games as Preeti Pawar won her quarter-final bout against Kazakhstan's Zhaina Shekerbekova 4-1 to progress to the last four in the 54kg category. With this win, the 19-year-old has assured a medal and secured a quota at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lovlina Borgohain also won her bout and progressed to the semi-finals.
A hard-fought victory for Preeti
Preeti was sensational throughout the bout as her opponent, Shkerbekova, is a three-time Worlds medallist and two-time Asian champion. The Kazakh pugilist won the Asian Games silver in 2014. However, Preeti showed great valor and fought toe-to-toe against a formidable opponent. The youngster showed great energy and a combination of punches to thwart her opponent and earned a historic split decision (4-1) victory.
The second Indian boxer to secure a Paris Olympics berth
Yesterday, Nikhat Zareen became the first Indian boxer to go through to the semi-finals and secure a spot in the Paris Olympics. Nikhat defeated Hanan Nassar in the quarter-finals. Preeti followed in her footsteps and became the second boxer to achieve the same feat.
Who is Preeti Pawar?
Hailing from Haryana, Preeti has been always hailed as a very talented young pugilist. She won the silver at the 2021 Youth World Championships. Part of the Inspire Institute, Preeti won the bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Championships in Jordan. She lost to the Tokyo Olympics champion Sena Irie in the semi-finals. She bowed out of the 2023 World Championships in pre-quarterfinals.
Lovlina Borgohain also assures a medal
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Lovlina recorded a terrific 5-0 win over South Korea's Suyeon Seong to progress to the semi-finals in the 75kg category. She has also assured herself a medal in Hangzhou. However, she has not secured the Paris Olympics berth just yet, because there are only two continental berths in this category. So, reaching the finals will hand her an Olympic berth.
