Satish Kumar one win away from Tokyo…

Satish Kumar one win away from Tokyo Olympic spot

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg) is just one win away from qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics as the draw for the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers scheduled to be held in Amman, Jordan from March 3-11, was announced on Monday. World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal (52kg) will be able to make the trip to Tokyo if he wins his first two bouts and reaches the semis.

8 men from the country need to reach the semi-finals as they remain in the hunt for a coveted Tokyo Olympic berth at this continental event, being conducted by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Boxing Task Force.

A few months after claiming a historic silver medal at the World Championships, Panghal will be looking to bring that momentum as he sets his sights on fulfilling his Olympic dream. He starts off his campaign against the winner of the bout between Mongolia’s Enkhmanadakh Kharkhuu and Tajikistan’s Shuhrat Sabzaliev. Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov, bronze medallist at the World Championships last year, is likely to be Panghal’s opponent in the semis with the second seed and reigning Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov following in the final.

Among the other Indian male pugilists, World Championships bronze medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg), Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vikas Krishan (69kg), Sachin Kumar (81kg), and Naman Tanwar (91kg) all need to win a couple of rounds to reach the last-four stage and book their ticket to Tokyo. Asian Championships silver medallist Ashish Kumar (75kg) and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gaurav Solanki (57kg) each need three wins in their quest.