Tokyo Olympics 2020, Asian Boxing Qualifiers: Ashish Kumar expresses confidence in securing Olympic berth after reaching quarterfinals
What's the story?
India's ace Middleweight (75 kg) Ashish Kumar has expressed his confidence in securing a ticket for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 after reaching the quarterfinals in his weight category at the ongoing 2020 Asia & Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament.
The background
Ashish Kumar got his campaign off to a flier with a fantastic 5-0 unanimous verdict over Chinese Taipei’s Kan Chia-Wei in the Preliminary round. The judges' score read 29-28, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 and 29-27 in Kumar's favour.
The Indian boxer was up against a stiff challenge in the pre-quarterfinal as his bout was against the fourth-seeded boxer - Omurbek Bekzhigit Uulu. Ashish was skilful and his perseverance helped him win the bout with a unanimous 5-0 verdict. The final judges score read 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favour of Ashish.
Also read - Bright start for India in Asian Olympic Boxing Qualifiers as Gaurav Solanki and Ashish Kumar sail through to the pre-quarterfinals
The heart of the matter
Speaking on his terrific performance in the pre-quarterfinal bout and his upcoming battle, a visibly excited Ashish said:
"The fight was quite good. I defeated the Kyrgyzstan boxer (Omurbek Bekzhigit Uulu) 5-0. My next fight will be against Indonesia's boxer (Michael Roberrd Muskita). I will be preparing myself well for the bout and ensure I play even better. I am just one win away from securing a ticket for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. I will surely give it my best now. I need your full support to enable me to perform better. I will win my next fight and book a ticket to Tokyo!"
Indian boxers have been fantastic at the ongoing qualification tournament currently taking place at the Prince Hamzah Hall in Amman, Jordan. Gaurav Solanki won his preliminary bout in the Men's Featherweight (57 kg) category. Manish Kaushik entered the quarters in Men's Lightweight (63 kg) after a 5-0 victory over Chinese Taipei's Lai Chu-en. Sachin Kumar (Men's Light heavyweight), Sakshi Chaudhary (Women's Featherweight), Simranjit Kaur (Women's Lightweight) - all made their way through to the quarterfinals in their respective categories.
Also read - Tokyo Olympics 2020, Asian Boxing Qualifiers: Ashish Kumar, Manish Kaushik and Sachin Kumar through to the quarter-finals
What's next?
Ashish Kumar has enjoyed a stellar run in the Asian Boxing Qualifiers thus far. The Indian pugilist will have to be at his best again as he takes on Michael Roberrd Muskita of Indonesia in the all-important quarterfinal bout. Ashish and a plethora of other Indian boxers are just one win away from securing a ticket to Tokyo Olympics 2020.