NEW DELHI: 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (51kg) and Jaismine (women’s 57 kg) clinched India’s fifth and sixth Paris Olympic quotas respectively by winning their quarterfinal bouts in the Boxing World Qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday.
Panghal relied on his quick-fire movement and combination of jabs and uppercuts to overcome a slow start and earn a unanimous 5:0 verdict against China’s Liu Chuang in the 51kg quarterfinals while Jaismine, who got a chance to participate in the 57kg category as Boxing Federation of India had to surrender the quota won by Parveen Hooda, defeated Mali’s Marine Camara by an identical score line.
India had sent a 10-member contingent to Bangkok which included seven men and three women boxers. Nishant Dev became the first Indian male boxer to earn qualification in 71kg category when he defeated Moldova’s Vasile Cebotari in the quarterfinals on Friday.
India had earlier earned three quotas at the 2022 Asian Games through Nikhat Zareen (women’s 50kg), Preeti (54kg) and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) by virtue of all of them finishing on the podium in Guangzhou, China.
However, it was disappointing end for Sachin Siwach in the final bout for the Indian contingent as he went down 0:5 against Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek Uul in the third place play-off of the men’s 57kg category to decide the quota spot.
