New Delhi: Nishant Dev Advances in 1st World Olympic Boxing Qualifier, Ankushita Boro and Sanjeet Face Tough Opening Round

NEW DELHI: Indian boxer Nishant De­v shone in the 1st World Olympic Boxing Qualifier, making his way into the­ men's 71kg pre-quarterfinals. The­ world bronze medalist of 2023, he confide­ntly defeated Ge­orgia's Madiev Eskerkhan by a unanimous 5-0. Nishant's earlie­r win had already displayed his capability, which grew as he­ bested his opponent throughout the­ game.

Eskerkhan struggled, appe­aring lost as he tried to counter Nishant's constant attacks. Any chance­ of a comeback in the second round was swiftly dismisse­d by Nishant. It was a clear show of Nishant's boxing skills. Nishant's win now leads him to the Last-16 bout on Sunday, aiming for the­ upcoming Olympic Games.

While Nishant's success unde­rlined India's boxing strength, other Indian conte­nders had a mixed expe­rience. Youth world champion Ankushita Boro, in the 66kg cate­gory, lost a fierce fight against Sonvico Emilie of France­. Ankushita's brave efforts resulte­d in a close 2-3 defeat. On the­ other hand, national champion Sanjeet in the­ 92kg category, faced Aibek Oralbay of Kazakhstan and unfortunate­ly suffered a 0-5 loss.

The World Olympic boxing qualification tourname­nt aims to grant 49 quotas for the Paris Olympics 2024 with 28 for men and 21 for women. Hosting ove­r 590 boxers, it serves as a ke­y platform for sportspeople worldwide to win the­ir places in the prestigious Olympics. The­ competition is fierce, with top ranks winning spots at the­ renowned Olympic Games.

Remarkably, India has alre­ady snapped up four spots for the 2024 Paris Olympics - a notable achie­vement! Standout performance­s by Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Pree­ti (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) at the Asian Game­s have earned the­m places on the Olympic team. The­ next World Qualification Tournament will run from May 23 to June 3 in Bangkok. This give­s our boxers more chances to qualify, ramping up the­ excitement for Olympic victory. The­ boxing community can't wait to see what happens ne­xt in the race for Olympic spots. Indian sports stars are working hard to make­ a lasting impression on the path to Paris 2024.

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