Olympic-bound Vikas Krishan enters final of Asian Qualifiers

Amman (Jordan), March 10

A resolute Vikas Krishan (69kg) advanced to the final with a tactically impressive win but world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) signed off with bronze medals at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers here on Tuesday.

All three boxers have already secured their tickets to the Olympic Games by making the semifinals but Krishan will come back with at least a silver after entering the final.

He fought with a cut sustained just below his left eyebrow before claiming a split decision victory over second seed Ablaikhan Zhussupov of Kazakhstan, a two-time world bronze-medallist.

The 28-year-old Indian will face feisty Jordanian Eishaih Hussein, who sent Asian gold-medallist and top seed Bobo-Usmon Baturov packing in a split decision.

Krishan, a former world bronze-winner and a Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, was the busier of the two boxers despite the injury he picked in the second round and his right jabs were particularly effective through the bout.

However, in a major disappointment for India, world silver-medallist and top seed Panghal went down to Jianguan Hu of China in a split 3-2 decision. It was revenge for Hu, an Olympic and world bronze-medallist who lost to Panghal in the Asian semifinals last year.

Panghal had endured exhausting contests in the run-up to the semifinals and he could not outpace the determined Chinese in Tuesday’s clash.

Earlier, two-time world bronze-medallist and second seed Borgohain lost to third seed and 2018 world silver-medallist Hong Gu of China in a unanimous 5-0 verdict after struggling to find her range against the experienced 30-year-old.

Gu will next be up against reigning world champion and top seed Chen Nien-Chin of Taiwan who outpunched Thailand’s Baison Manikon in her semifinal bout. — PTI