World Championship medallists <keyword id="20376839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nikhat-Zareen" source="keywords">Nikhat Zareen</keyword>, <keyword id="20376840" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lovlina-Borgohain" source="keywords">Lovlina Borgohain</keyword> and <keyword id="20420031" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nishant-Dev" source="keywords">Nishant Dev</keyword> will wade through draws that are at best tricky in their quest to achieve India's best Olympic medal tally in boxing when the competition kicks off here on Saturday. <keyword id="20287995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-boxers" source="keywords">Indian boxers</keyword> have fetched three medals in the Olympics so far, all bronze. While Vijender Singh remains the only male to have achieved the feat back in the 2008 Beijing Games, women stars MC Mary Kom (London, 2012) and Borgohain (Tokyo, 2021) later added to the overall haul. The six boxers in Paris were handed draws ranging from slippery to difficult on Thursday. Expectations are high from the group and two-time reigning world champion Zareen is at the forefront. The 28-year-old has an uphill task ahead as three of the top medal contenders in the light-flyweight (50kg) division -- China's Wu Yu, Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat and Uzbekistan's Sabina Bobokulov -- are in her half. Zareen opens her campaign against Germany's Maxi Klotzer on Sunday, following which she will meet top-seeded Asian Games and reigning flyweight world champion Wu. If Zareen crosses this hurdle, she may meet either eighth-seeded Asian Games silver medallist Raksat or Bobokulova. Both boxers have defeated the Indian recently. While Raksat got the better of Zareen at the Asian Games last year, Bobokulova beat her at the Strandja Memorial final in February. But the tenacious Hyderabadi would be up for the challenge and if she gets through two rounds, she would become a favourite for gold. The seasoned <keyword id="20499145" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Panghal" source="keywords">Amit Panghal</keyword> (51kg) has had a rollercoaster of a ride this Olympic year -- from not being the first choice in his weight class in the national team to making the cut for Paris in the one and only chance he got. Time out from the national team deflated his confidence but he has unfinished business to address, having made a first-round exit in Tokyo. Panghal has received a first-round bye and meets African Games champion, Zambia's Patrick Chinyemba, who had lost to the Indian at the Commonwealth Games, in the round of 16. He faces Asian Games silver medallist Thitisan Panmod of Thailand in the quarterfinals and could potentially meet Rio Olympics and reigning world champion Hassanboy Dusmatov from Uzbekistan or Tokyo bronze-winner Kazakh Saken Bibossinov in the semifinal. The immensely talented Nishant, one of the most consistent performers in the Indian squad, has got the best draw. With a first round bye, the debutant will take on Ecuador's Rodriguez Tenorio in the pre-quarters on Thursday. If Nishant gets past Tenorio, he will meet Mexico's Pan American Games champion Merco Verde in the quarterfinals. He may come up against top seed Sewon Okazawa of Japan in the semifinals. Borgohain will be chasing history, to add to her 69kg bronze. The Assamese boxer, who has bulked up to 75kg, will clash with Norway's Sunniva Hofstad in the first round. However, Borgohain has a tough test waiting for her in the quarterfinal in the form of Chinsese Li Qian, the reigning Asian Games champion and also a two-time Olympic and world medallist. Although Borgohain defeated Qian at the world event last year, she lost in the previous two meetings -- Asian Games and the Czech Grand Prix. A win in the quarters may pit Borgohain against either fifth-seeded world silver medallist Australian Caitlin Parker or Morocco's heavyweight world champion Khadija El-Mardi. Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar (54kg), competing in her debut Games, will fight with Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh in the first round. A win will take her to the round of 16 where world silver-medallist Yeni Arias of Colombia awaits her. Another debutant Jaismine Lamboria, who has dropped from 60kg to 57kg just ahead of the final qualifier, has got perhaps the most difficult draw. She takes on Tokyo silver-medallist, former world champion Nesthy Petecio of Philippines, in her opening bout. Should she win, Jaismine would be up against France's European Games champion and world bronze winner Amina Zidani. The boxing events at the Paris Games will take place at two venues. The early rounds will be held at the North Paris Arena while the iconic Stade Roland-Garros will host the semifinals and finals.

All eyes on Nikhat, Lovlina as boxers open Olympic campaign hoping to negotiate difficult draws

<keyword id="11751702" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="debutant-lovlina-borgohain">Debutant Lovlina Borgohain</keyword> (69kg) assured India of their first boxing medal at the ongoing Olympic Games when she upstaged former world champion Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei to enter the semifinals here on Friday. The 23-year-old Assam boxer prevailed 4-1 to make the last-four where she will square off against reigning world champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey, who hammered Anna Lysenko in her quarterfinal bout. Borgohain, a two-time world championship bronze-medallist, displayed tremendous calm in the face of a plucky opponent, who had beaten her in the past. She was aggressive to start with, followed it up with a tremendous counter-attacking game and kept her defence tight in the final three minutes to emerge triumphant. The youngster, who was laid low by COVID-19 last year and missed a training trip to Europe because of it, let out a huge scream after the referee raised her hand, pent up emotions finally getting the better of her. India's previous boxing medals have come through <keyword id="30474" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vijender-Singh">Vijender Singh</keyword> (2008) and M C Mary Kom (2012). Both of them had won bronze medals and Borgohain would look to better that. Earlier, <keyword id="1406187" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Simranjit-Kaur">Simranjit Kaur</keyword> (60kg) lost to Thailand's Sudaporn Seesondee in the pre-quarterfinals to make an early exit from the Games here. The 26-year-old Indian, seeded fourth, went down 0-5 despite a gritty performance. She was impressive in the opening round and seemed to have caught Seesondee on the back-foot with her measured approach, sticking to a counter-attacking strategy. However, the judges ruled unanimously in favour of the <keyword id="32810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Thai">Thai</keyword>, causing <keyword id="1969233" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Simranjit">Simranjit</keyword> to be a tad reckless in the second round. The Indian paid for the hyper-aggressive approach in the first few seconds itself when Seesondee managed to connect some eye-catching left hooks. The defensive errors in the second put paid to Simranjit's chances and even though she gave it her all in the third round, it needed nothing short of a demolition job to get over the line. However, that was not to be as she bowed out following a unanimous verdict. The 29-year-old Thai is a two-time world championships medallist and also won a silver in the 2018 Asian Games. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/tokyo-olympics-indias-only-contender-deepika-kumari-reaches-the-quarterfinals-in-womens-archery/articleshow/84880168.cms">Tokyo Olympics: India's only contender Deepika Kumari reaches the quarterfinals in women's archery</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cleartax-major-acquisitions-and-hiring-2021-funding-on-the-way/articleshow/84880048.cms">Clear(Tax) has planned major acquisitions and hiring for this year, in talks with investors to raise funds</a>

Tokyo Olympics: Lovlina Borgohain assures a boxing medal for India by entering semifinals

Six-time champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) on Thursday surpassed herself as the most successful boxer in the Women's World Championship history by securing an unprecedented eighth medal before three of her compatriots also entered the semifinals here. The debutant duo of sixth seed Manju Rani (48kg) and Jamuna Boro (54kg) along with last edition's bronze-medallist and third seed Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) made the medal rounds along side Mary Kom to ensure that India equalled their last edition's performance in terms of number of medals won. The third-seeded Mary Kom defeated a spirited rival in Colombia's Valencia Victoria, fetching a unanimous 5-0 verdict to make the last-four stage. Rani stunned top seed and last edition's bronze-medallist Kim Hyang Mi of South Korea 4-1, while Boro, an Assam Rifles employee, got the better of Germany's Ursula Gottlob by a similar margin after draining showdowns. Borgohain, on the other hand, pulled off a facile 4-1 triumph over Poland's sixth-seeded Karolina Koszewska. "I am very happy to have secured a medal but I would be looking to make it better by reaching the finals," the 36-year-old Mary Kom said after the bout. "It was a good bout for me and I will now try to improve on this performance in the semifinals," she added. Awaiting Mary Kom in the semifinals on Saturday, after a rest day on Friday, is second-seeded Turk Busenaz Cakiroglu, who is the reigning European Championships and European Games gold-medallist. Cakiroglu defeated China's Cai Zongju in her quarterfinal bout. For Rani, her next opponent is going to be Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat, who upstaged fifth seed Yuliyanova Asenova. Boro will take on top seed and former Asian Games bronze-medallist Huang Hsiao-Wen of Chinese Taipei. Borgohain's opponent in the semfinals would be China's Yang Liu, who shocked top seed Chen Nien-Chin in her quarterfinal clash. However, two-time bronze-medallist Kavita Chahal (+81kg) bowed out after a 0-5 loss to Belarus' Katsiaryna Kavaleva. In a tactful performance, Mary Kom waited for her chances and defended sharply to ensure that Victoria's plan to impress the judges by throwing in more punches didn't yield results. The Indian's huge reservoir of experience came in handy as she swung her right arm masterfully to connect well-placed hooks. Her straight punches were as effective and regularly pierced through Victoria's reasonably strong defence. With this, Mary Kom bettered her own record as the most successful boxer in the history of the marquee tournament. The Manipuri, in terms of number of medals won, is in fact numero uno cutting across both the men's and women's competitions. Cuban icon Felix Savon is the most successful in the men's event with seven medals -- six gold and a silver. Entering into this edition, Mary Kom had six gold and a silver in her kitty but this is the first time, she has secured a world medal in the 51kg category. She had finished a quarterfinalist in this division in the past. The latest achievement has only added to her ever-growing legend. Besides six world titles, Mary Kom's incredible career is also studded with an Olympic bronze medal (2012), five Asian titles, gold medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, besides numerous other international top finishes. This year alone, she won gold medals at the India Open in Guwahati and President's Cup in Indonesia. She is also a member of the Rajya Sabha. Both Rani and Boro fetched hard-fought victories, engaged with strong opponents who hardly gave anything away defensively. But the two Indians were remarkably good in counter-attacks. "My opponent was very aggressive and in the first round, I was quite confused about how to handle her but eventually I settled down and it became easier," Boro said after her bout. Later Borgohain had little trouble going past Koszewska, whose rather awkward stance compounded her problems. However, three-time Asian medallist Chahal didn't seem up to it and produced a rather sloppy show against a more agile Kavaleva, who got the result merely by hitting straight and clean for most part of the bout.

Mary Kom assured of 8th world medal; 3 other Indian boxers also enter semis

<keyword id="232713" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="hangzhou" source="Orion">Hangzhou</keyword> (China), <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s campaign for excellence in the Paris <keyword id="6450929" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="olympic-games" source="Orion">Olympic Games</keyword> next year faces some crucial tests starting from Saturday when the 19th <keyword id="84384" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="asian-games" source="Orion">Asian Games</keyword> officially kick off in Hangzhou, China. India has set itself an ambitious target of achieving medals in double digits for the first time in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 and the 19th Asian Games not only present an opportunity to assess the preparation of its athletes but also provide Olympic qualification quotas in some sports. Postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across China last year, the 2022 Asian Games are being conducted within the qualifying period for Olympic Games in all sports and thus provide opportunities for sportspersons to book their berths to France. Indian sportspersons in many sports including men's and women's hockey, table tennis and boxing will get a chance to qualify for the Olympics at Hangzhou. With the Central Government pumping in huge sums to fulfil its dream of Olympic excellence, India is expecting to achieve its best-ever medal haul in the Asian Games at Hangzhou. India's previous best medal haul in the Continental Jamboree has been the 70 medals bagged in Indonesia four years back in 2018. Its campaign spearheaded by the likes of Olympic and World Championship gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, two-time World Champion boxer Nikhat Zareen, Olympic bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain, men's doubles tennis legend <keyword id="12295" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rohan-bopanna" source="Orion">Rohan Bopanna</keyword>, chess champs Koneru Humpy, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu in badminton and table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal, India go into the Hangzhou Asian Games in bullish mood, hoping to challenge the Asian superpowers China, Japan, South Korea and Iran and finish fifth or above. Besides hoping to win its first gold medal since 2014, the Indian men's hockey team will be hoping to clinch a direct berth in the Paris Olympics by winning the gold medal in Hangzhou. The women's hockey team led by goalkeeper Savita Punia has landed in China to not only clinch its berth for Paris 2024 but also bag its first gold medal in the Asian Games since 1982 when women's hockey made its debut in the continental extravaganza. The women's hockey team led by Rajbir Kaur won the title at home in New Delhi and since then India have claimed silver medal twice -- in 1998 and 2018 -- and bronze medal thrice -- in 1986, 2006 and 2014. The team has finished fourth on four occasions. Overall India have won 671 medals in the 19 editions of the Asian Games so far -- 155 gold, 200 silver and 316 bronze medals. The Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) are hoping to add a substantial chunk of medals to the kitty at Hangzhou and maybe cross the 100-medal mark. Though that may look like a tall order considering the country's best effort so far has been 70 in 2018, it does not sound like an impossible target considering the recent performances by the Indian sportspersons in recent times and the new sports that have been added to the programme here at Hangzhou. India hopes to garner most of its medals from athletics, its bread-and-butter sport at the Asian level, shooting, boxing, wrestling, tennis, rowing and sailing. With esports making its debut as a medal sport in Hangzhou and chess returning to the Games for the first time since 2010, India will also be hoping to bag some medals in badminton, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, judo, wushu and equestrian. The country has sent in a huge Contingent of 921 which includes 655 athletes and 260 coaches and support staff. Competitions have already started in men's and women's football, sailing, rowing, cricket, table tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball. The medal hunt will start on September 24, the day after the Games are officially declared open, with shooters providing the first medal for Another reason for aiming for a rich medal haul at Hangzhou is that India hopes to organise the Asian Games for the third time in the next few years. A rich medal haul at Hangzhou will also boost the country's image and get support for hosting the event for the third time after 1951 and 1982. Can Hangzhou be a stepping stone for Indian sports on way to excelling at Paris 2024 and organising the Asian Games soon? The result will be out on October 8, when the 19th Asian Games will come to a close.

Asian Games: At Hangzhou, India on a quest for excellence and preparing for Paris 2024

<ul><li>Satish Kumar (+91kg) put up a gutsy performance against reigning world champion Bakhodir Jalolov but it was not enough to upstage the rampaging <keyword id="67415" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uzbek">Uzbek</keyword> as the Indian boxer made a quarterfinal exit from the Olympic Games here on Sunday.</li><li>The two-time Asian Games bronze-winner and multiple-time national champion, had scripted history by just qualifying for the Games.</li><li>Satish's forehead cut did open up eventually during the third round but he fought through even with that.</li></ul>A badly bruised Satish Kumar (+91kg) put up a gutsy performance against reigning world champion Bakhodir Jalolov but it was not enough to upstage the rampaging Uzbek as the Indian boxer made a quarterfinal exit from the Olympic Games here on Sunday. Taking the ring with multiple stitches on his forehead and chin after sustaining cuts in the pre-quarters, Satish lost 0-5 but the scoreline was not reflective of his brave performance. Satish, a two-time Asian Games bronze-winner and multiple-time national champion, had scripted history by just qualifying for the Games as he was the first super heavyweight from India to achieve the feat. "He is a bit low right now but when he settles down, he will realise how big it was for him to fight it out with those cuts," Indian Boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told . "The fight he gave despite the blows is praiseworthy. Every punch that Jalolov connected added to his pain, he was feeling it all through. The Uzbek boxer is a special talent," he said. The 32-year-old Army man stood his ground in the biggest bout of his career, occasionally managed to land a shot with his right hand but Jalolov dominated the proceedings all through, relying on his imposing demeanour and excellent counter-attacking game to sail through. What stood out about the <keyword id="6354367" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Commonwealth-Games">Commonwealth Games</keyword> silver-winner was his resolve to fight it out. The former kabaddi player from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr did not hesitate to launch attacks despite the risk of his cuts opening up. Satish's forehead cut did open up eventually during the third round but he fought through even with that. "Satish was seriously injured with 13 stitches above his eye and on his chin. That he still decided to fight against the No. 1 boxer shows his courage and patriotism. "Not many will take blows for their country like Satish did today. We are very proud of him," <keyword id="556818" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boxing-Federation-of-India">Boxing Federation of India</keyword> President Ajay Singh said. Jalolov, a 27-year-old footballer-turned-boxer, also acknowledged his rival's bravery at the end of the bout by nodding in appreciation towards him after securing his maiden Olympic Games medal. Jalolov is also a three-time Asian champion, all those gold medals coming in succession to him since 2017. With this the Indian men's boxing campaign came to an end in the Games. Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) remains the lone pugilist in fray after having made the semifinals to secure India's first and only boxing medal of the ongoing edition. On Saturday, it was a major disappointment for India when world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) bowed out of the event following a 1-4 loss to <keyword id="1428683" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rio-Games">Rio Games</keyword> silver-medallist Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia. An injured Vikas Krishan (69kg), and the debutant duo of Manish Kaushik (63kg) and Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) had earlier bowed out following opening-round losses. In the women's competition, six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg), two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (75kg) and world bronze-winner Simranjit Kaur (60kg) had lost in the preliminary stage. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/tokyo-olympics-indias-p-v-sindhu-loses-to-world-number-one-tai-tzu-ying-of-chinese-taipei-in-the-semis/articleshow/84922174.cms">Tokyo Olympics: India's P V Sindhu loses to world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the semis</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/droom-founder-explains-why-he-is-considering-a-us-ipo-and-where-he-intends-to-spend-the-money/articleshow/84917608.cms">Droom founder explains why he is considering a US IPO and where he intends to spend the money</a>

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All eyes on Nikhat, Lovlina as boxers open Olympic campaign hoping to negotiate difficult draws

PTI

Tokyo Olympics: Lovlina Borgohain assures a boxing medal for India by entering semifinals

PTI

Mary Kom assured of 8th world medal; 3 other Indian boxers also enter semis

PTI

Asian Games: At Hangzhou, India on a quest for excellence and preparing for Paris 2024

IANS

Tokyo Olympics: India's Satish Kumar exits from quarter-finals in boxing after losing to Bakhodir Jalolov

PTI