Nishant Dev became the first Indian male boxer to secure a spot for the 2024 Paris Olympics by decisively out-punching and outclassing his Moldovan opponent, Vasile Cebotari, in the 71kg quarterfinals of the second Boxing World Qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday.
The 23-year-old registered a convincing 5-0 win over Cebotari in the first round of the bout to claim the Olympic ticket.
Nishant has now joined the likes of Nikhat Zareen (women’s 50kg), Preeti (54kg) and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) as Indian pugilists who have earned quota places for the Paris Games.
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Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Ankushita Boro bowed out of the Paris Olympics race as she suffered a 2-3 loss at the hands of Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson in the quarterfinals bout of the 60 kg category.
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