Indian boxers shine in Olympic Test event; Shiva Thapa secures medal

Tokyo: It was a good day for Indian boxers at the Olympic Test event as Shiva Thapa secured a medal while six others made it to the semi-finals without facing their opponents in Japan.

Four-time Asian medallist Thapa (63kg) won his quarter-final bout on Tuesday (October 29) in Tokyo.

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Thapa overpowered local favourite Yuki Hirakawa in a 5-0 verdict to fight his way into the medal rounds. The seasoned boxer from Assam claimed his third national title earlier this month.

He will be up against another Japanese, Daisuke Narimatsu, in the semi-finals on Wednesday. Narimatsu got a bye in the opening round.

However, for his six other compatriots, including former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg), a medal was guaranteed without a fight as they either got byes or were helped by the small size of their respective draws.

Apart from Zareen, Asian silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan (91kg), Ashish (69kg), Vanhlimpuia (75kg), Simranjeet Kaur (60kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) have made the semifinals.

Sangwan, who was crowned national champion earlier this month, will square off against Kazakhstan's Aibek Oralbay.

Zareen, who hit the headlines recently for a bitter row over selection for next year's Olympic qualifiers where six-time world champion MC Mary Kom has been preferred over her without a trial, will face Japan's Sana Kawano on Wednesday.

Former Asian Games bronze-medallist Rani will be up against Brazil's Beatriz Soares. Rani had won a silver medal at the Asian Championships earlier this year.

Opponents for the other Indian boxers will be known later after the quarterfinal bouts conclude on Tuesday evening.

The only disappointment for the country's contingent was the quarterfinal exit of Anant Choapde, who went down 2-3 in a hard-fought contest against local hope Tosho Kashiwasaki.

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