AIBA Womenâs Boxing World Championships | Sarita Devi gets knocked out while Mary Kom advances to quarters
Sarita Devi lost to Irelandâs Kellie Harrington via a 3-2 split decision in the pre-quarters of the ongoing AIBA Womenâs Boxing World Championships in Delhi. Meanwhile, MC Mary Kom won her bout against Kazakhstanâs Aigerim Kassenayeva and made it to the quarter-final round of the world event.
Sarita Devi lost the pre-quarterfinal game in the lightweight category to the silver medallist from the 2016 edition - Kellie Harrington. Saritaâs defeat was the first for the hosts in the ongoing event as all the Indian women had won their respective bouts prior to that of Sarita. The silver medallist from the 2014 Commonwealth Games had to lose because of a standing knockout count in the last round.
âI am not happy with the decision but I canât do anything about it. Win-loss happens in life but Iâll never give up. I have won all three rounds. In the third round, they gave counting, which doesnât affect the points. I donât know why they felt that I lost, maybe the judges didnât like me,â a disappointed Sarita said. Reported TOI.
However, Mary Kom brought cheers for the Indian supporters by qualifying for the quarter-finals of the light flyweight (48kg) category by getting the better of Kazakhstanâs Aigerim Kassenayeva with a unanimous decision. The 2012 Olympic bronze medallist will meet Chinaâs Wu Yu in the last eight.
âA lot of pressure is there on us because we are hosting the World Championships. People are expecting me to win again at home. But their support is also very important because we get double energy from the fans,â expressed Mary Kom after the win.
Manisha Maun (54kg), Lovelina (69kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) are the other Indian boxers in the quarter-final round of the World Championships. Manisha won her bantamweight category game with a 5-0 win against Dina Zholaman of Kazakhstan. The 20-year-old will now face Stoyka Petrova of Bulgaria, who won
In the welterweight category, Lovlina won her bout against Panamaâs