China’s Gu Hong and India’s Lovlina Borgohain are the next Asian medallists at the Tokyo Olympic Games
The Tokyo Olympic Games arrived to its seventh competition day and two of the Asian boxers advanced to the semi-finals. China’s Gu Hong and India’s Lovlina Borgohain joined to the last four at the women’s welterweight (69kg) and both earned medals in Tokyo.
Boxers at the women’s lightweight (60kg), women’s welterweight (69kg), men’s welterweight (69kg), men’s light heavyweight (81kg) and men’s heavyweight (91kg) were in action in the seventh day of boxing.
Altogether 70 Asian boxers including 26 women and 44 men are able to represent their nations in the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games. The final number of the boxers is 289 in the Games where thirteen champions will be crowned in Tokyo.
Sudaporn Seesondee is the third Thai boxer in the quarter-finals
The national boxing team of Thailand spent the recent one and half year in their national training camp in Muak Lek after the Asian & Oceanian Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event. The Thai boxers are in top shape in the Olympic Games and their AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships silver medallist Sudaporn Seesondee proved that she is also a big prospect for them. Seesondee met with an Indian opponent, Simranjit Kaur Baath who moved down to the lightweight (60kg) and she was seeded based on her previous performances. The 30-year-old Thai boxer found her best rhythm in the first round and she knew the weak points of her Indian opponent to advance to the quarter-finals in Tokyo.
India’s Lovlina Borgohain delivered a sensation and earned a medal
Chinese Taipei’s AIBA Women’s World Champion Chen Nien Chin was seeded at the women’s welterweight (69kg) and she defeated her Indian rival, Lovlina Borgohain in all of the previous international events. Chen, who competed already in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, had difficulties already in her first Olympic bout and she did not use the best strategy against the Indian. Both boxers were born in 1997 but the Asian boxers are highly experienced therefore the bout was a remarkable one. Borgohain exceeded all of the expectations and she eliminated Chinese Taipei’s pride in Tokyo.
Uzbekistan’s Raykhona Kodirova marched to the quarter-finals
Uzbekistan’s Tursunoy Rakhimova was near to beat Turkey’s seed No.1 Busenaz Cakiroglu in the last 16 of the women’s flyweight (51kg), she exceeded the expectations but her opponent’s hand was raised after the last gong. Her teammate, Raykhona Kodirova multiplied her efforts and worked hard against DR Congo’s Naomie Therese Yumba in the preliminary bout of the women’s lightweight (60kg). The 28-year-old Uzbek was better in all of the three rounds than her African rival as first from her country in women’s boxing, secured a place in the quarter-finals.
China’s Gu Hong is semi-finalist at the welterweight
China’s three-time ASBC Asian Women’s Champion Gu Hong is the main favourite for the gold medal at the women’s welterweight (69kg) and she opened her campaign successfully against Thailand’s teenage hope, Baison Manikon. Gu tried to keep the distance against Mozambique’s Alcinda Panguana who developed rapidly in the recent three years. The African landed a few great jabs in the first round but Gu had the better technical skills and used up Panguana’s faults to control their quarter-final. The Chinese boxer had the dominancy also in the second and third rounds which means she is medallist in Tokyo.
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