Paris Olympics 2024 Boxing: Nishant Dev falls short in quarterfinal against Marco Alonso
An unfortunate result at the North Paris Arena on August 4, 2024, as Indian boxer Nishant Dev's quest for an Olympic medal ended in heartbreak. Facing Mexico's Marco Alonso Verde Alvarez in the men's 71kg boxing quarterfinals, Nishant was edged out in a split decision, losing 4-1.
A win would have secured him a place in the semifinals and guaranteed at least a bronze medal, as boxing awards two bronze medals to the losing semifinalists. Unfortunately, Nishant fell just short of this milestone.
The match was intensely competitive from the outset. Nishant Dev started strong in the first round. He managed to impress Judges 1, 2, 4, and 5, all scoring the round 10-9 in his favor, while Judge 3 saw it 10-9 for Alonso. The second round saw fierce exchanges, with Nishant receiving mixed scores: Judges 2, 4, and 5 awarded 9-10 to Alonso, while Judges 1 and 3 scored 10-9 for Nishant Dev.
The final round was the decider, with both boxers pushing themselves to their limits. Nishant, however, failed to impress any of the judges, as all of them awarded 9-10 in favor of Alonso.
Ultimately, the split verdict of 4-1 favored the Mexican Marco Alonso, bringing Nishant Dev's Paris Olympics 2024 campaign to a close just one step short of a medal.
Lovlina Borgohain remains India’s last hope in boxing at the Paris Olympics 2024 after Nishant Dev’s exit
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain is now India’s only hope for a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Nishant Dev was labeled as a top contender and almost had a medal in his pocket. But the decision didn’t go his way and thus had to exit in the quarter-finals.
Lovlina Borgohain will be taking on China’s Li Qian in the Women’s 75kg quarterfinals on August 4, 3:02 PM.