Six-time world champion ace boxer MC Mary Kom assured of a medal for herself in her first competitive outing since qualifying for the Olympics last year. On Wednesday, she reached the semifinal of the Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain.
The 37-year-old, who had not competed since her Tokyo qualification last year in Jordan, defeated Italian Giordana Sorrentino with a split verdict in the quarterfinal stage of the event.
She will be up against American Virginia Fuchs in semifinals as she builds up to her second Olympic appearance in Tokyo later this year.
Earlier, in the men's draw, Olympic-bound Manish Kaushik (63kg) advanced to the quarterfinals with an opening 5-0 win against Spaniard Ammari Raddouane. The world championship bronze-medallist will play Kazakhstan's Sufiullin Zakir in quarters.
A 14-member Indian contingent (eight men and six women), including nine Olympic qualified and other top boxers, is taking part at the 35th edition of the tournament. All 14 of these boxers have made the quarterfinals already. Boxers from 17 countries, including Russia, USA, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Spain, are participating in the event.
Inputs from PTI