Tokyo Olympics: Boxer Pooja Rani sails into quarterfinals of women's middleweight

Competing in the women's middleweight division in boxing, Indian boxer Pooja Rani has sailed into the quarterfinal of the Tokyo Olympics. The 30-year-old defeated Algeria's Ichark Chaib a unanimous decision.

The Algerian started off in an aggressive manner putting the Indian on the backfoot right away. But, Pooja Rani soon took over with her calculated approach to punish the overly aggressive Chaib and take the first-round unanimously.

POOJA RANI IS A WIN AWAY FROM A MEDAL!

Indian boxer #PoojaRani beats Algeria's Ichrak Chaib by unanimous decision in the Middleweight Category Round of 16 bout.

A win in the quarterfinal bout will ensure her a medal.#Tokyo2020 #Boxing pic.twitter.com/kO4txg6O8V

— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) July 28, 2021

Playing in the red corner, Pooja Rani was just much superior than the inexperienced Algerian and dictated the terms at the Kokugikan arena for the entire duration of the bout. Once the second round, too, was handed to the Indian by all the five judges, there was no looking back.

Ichrak Chaib did give it her all in the final round, but Pooja Rani was smartly made use of the Algerian's shortcomings to her benefit and closed off the bout without much trouble.

Hailing from the state of Haryana, Pooja Rani is now just one bout away from winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.