Four-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom (46kg) and L. Sarita Devi (51kg) were assured of at least a bronze medal each after they eased into the semifinals of the Asian women’s boxing championship in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Mary Kom defeated Sri Lanka’s Anushka 6-3, while Sarita thrashed Ri Hyang Mi of North Korea 10-1 amid protests from the rival camp, which alleged unfair scoring.
However, it was heartbreak for Mizoram boxer Venlal Duati (48kg) who lost to China’s Luo Yujie. Duati was locked 1-1 with Yujie after the regulation four rounds and the boxers’ scores were found to be the same in the count-back as well.
The five-member judges’ panel then stepped in and all of them declared Yujie as the winner, Indian Boxing Federation secretary general Col P.K. Muralidharan Raja, who is in Astana as a technical delegate, said.
The diminutive Mary Kom, who is aiming to better the silver she won in the previous edition of the event, was the first to step into the ring from the Indian team on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old took a 2-0 lead in the first round and stretched it to 5-1 after the third round. Anushka tried to claw back in the final two minutes but the effort proved too little too late.
“It was tougher than the first-round bout but I have the experience to adjust according to the situation,” Mary Kom said. — PTI