Boxing
World Olympic Boxing Qualifier: Lakshya Chahar knocked out
Lakshya became the fourth Indian boxer to crash out of the Olympic qualifier after Deepak Bhoria, Narender Berwal and Jaismine Lamboria.
Indian boxer Lakshya Chahar will get a second chance to secure his spot in the Paris Olympics.
National champion Lakshya Chahar lost his bout at the World Olympic Boxing Qualifier in Italy’s Busto Arsizio on Tuesday.
Lakshya became the fourth Indian boxer to crash out of the Olympic qualifier after Deepak Bhoria, Narender Berwal and Jaismine Lamboria.
The trio lost their respective first-round matches. Chahar, on the other hand, lost to Iran’s Gheshlaghi Meysam in the third round.
Chahar lost in the first round 2-3 before bouncing back with a 3-2 win in the second round. He was eventually knocked out in the final round.
However, five Indian boxers are still in the fray for the 2024 Paris Olympics quota places. World championships bronze medallist Mohammed Hussamudin and six-time Asian Championships medal winner Shiva Thapa are among the prominent faces who will be in contention for Olympic berths. A semifinal finish will ensure a quota place.
So far, India clinched four 2024 Olympic quota places from boxing, with Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) earning their entry to Paris at the Asian Games last year.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, nine Indian boxers competed.
Boxers who could not win quota places will get a second chance to secure their spots in the Paris Games during the second World Olympic Boxing Qualifier, scheduled to be held in Bangkok from 23 May to 3 June.
