Amman (Jordan): World Championships silver medallist and top seed Amit Panghal (52kg) on Monday sealed his maiden spot for the Tokyo Olympic Games after defeating Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Asian/Oceania Olympic Qualifiers.
Panghal won 4-1 in a split verdict against Paalam, who the Indian had defeated in the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Games and the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Championships. Panghal will now face Hu Jianguan of China in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, former junior world champion Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg) failed to secure an Olympic quota after she suffered a defeat against Korea’s Im Aeji in the quarter-finals. The 19-year-old lost 0-5 to Im, who is also a former world youth champion.
The other Indian boxers who have sealed an Olympic quota so far are Asian Championships gold medallist Pooja Rani (75kg), two-time World Championships bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg).
