Ashish Kumar reaches to quarter-finals of Tokyo Olympic Qualifiers
The Indian Pugilist now needs one more win to secure his Tokyo Olympics ticket.
Asian Championships silver medallist Ashish Kumar (75kg) knocked out the fourth seed Bekzhigit Uulu Omurbek of Kyrgyzstan 5-0 in a brilliant performance to move into the quarter-finals of the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers.
[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]Having defeated the World No. 15 on his way to winning the silver at the Asian Championships last year, the 16th ranked Kumar came into this bout with a lot of confidence. He started slowly as the Kyrgyz raced out of the blocks to land a flurry of jabs on the Indian.
But once he settled down into the match, Ashish was able to connect better than his opponent. While the first round did go his way, the undeterred Omurbek came storming back to use his right-hand punches effectively and bounced back into the bout.
[KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]The final round was a heavily one-sided affair in favour of the Indian whose smart defensive tactic did not allow his opponent to land his blows. The contest ended with a great show of sportsmanship with the two boxers hugging and posing for the cameramen together.
“The bout went really well for me. Very happy with this win. I’ll prepare the strategies well to face my next opponent. It will be really important as I am just one win away from making it to Tokyo. I’ll give my absolute best to make my Olympic dream come true,” said Ashish after his victory.
[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News|Article continues below "][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]Ashish will next face Indonesia’s Maikhel Roberrd Muskita for a place in the semis and to confirm his Tokyo Olympics berth.
Later in the day, World Championships bronze medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg) will begin his quest against Chinese Taipei’s Lai Chu-En while Sachin Kumar (81kg) will take on Samoa’s Ioapa Dee.
- Imane Khelif becomes most searched sports personality on google in 2024
- Indian Sports Calendar December 2024: World Tour Finals, BGT, Hockey India League, World Chess Championship and more events to watch
- India end U19 World Boxing Championships campaign with 17 medals
- Krisha Verma crowned first-ever U19 boxing world champion from India
- Indian Sports Calendar October 2024: Women's T20 World Cup, World Championships, FIFA Friendlies, PKL and more
- Full list of Indian medal winners at Summer Olympics
- Fearless and bold Nishant Dev eyes golden history at Paris Olympics 2024
- Weight, diet, Paris Olympics: Inside the training camp of India's boxing hopes Amit Panghal and Nishant Dev
- A look at Lovlina Borgohain’s qualification for Paris Olympics 2024
- A look at Nishant Dev’s qualification for Paris Olympics 2024