New Delhi: Pooja Rani becomes the first Indian Boxer to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after she defeated her Thai opponent  Pornnipa Chutee in the 75 kg quarterfinal bout and secured a place in the last four at the Asian / Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers Qualifiers being held in Amman, Jordan . The Indians will be hoping for some good news coming later in the afternoon with as many as 5 Indian boxers in the fray today to book their berth in the semis finals.
London Olympic bronze medallist Mary Kom (51kg) moved one step closer to qualifying for the mega quadrennial Games for a second time with a powerful performance in her opening bout at the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan.
The six-time world champion, seeded second at this event, hardly put a foot wrong and sailed away to a commanding 5-0 victory over Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Tasmyn Benny of New Zealand on her way to the quarter-finals, where she will face Irish Magno of Philippines.
With Mary Kom’s win, 11 Indian boxers have now entered the quarter-finals at this tournament. Earlier, World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal (52kg) recorded a gritty 3-2 win over Mongolia’s Enkhmanadakh Kharkhuu to enter the quarter-finals. Both Kom and Panghal are now just one win away from realizing their Tokyo Olympic dream.