Asian champion Pooja Rani (75kg) and the seasoned Vikas Krishan (69kg) became the first set of Indian boxers to qualify for this year's Tokyo Olympics by advancing to the semi-finals of the continental qualifiers, in Amma, on Sunday. While fourth-seeded Rani notched up a facile 5-0 win over Thailand's Pornnipa Chutee, Krishan endured a tough one against third-seeded Japanese Sewonrets Okazawa before also prevailing in a unanimous verdict against the Asian silver-medallist.
'The experience and dedication of our boxers make me confident in their abilities to excel at the Asian Games.'
In a conference call with these boxers on Sunday, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh took stock of their preparations amid a national lockdown till April 14 to fight the pandemic.
The Indian boxers' campaign in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers was off to a disappointing start with all three in action, on Saturday, including former Commonwealth Games champion Manoj Kumar (64kg), bowing out with opening round losses in Qian'an, China.
It's fashion flashback Friday. The actress takes you back to the 90s in her flared pants and K3G style salwar suits.
The pugilists were due to start training later this month or early in August after the Boxing Federation of India got the SAI nod to conduct the national camp amid the pandemic.
All of the boxers have been training at their respective homes ever since the nationals camps came to a halt in mid-March owing to the virus outbreak
Showbiz shaadis that made headlines in 2014.
Thirteen of the country's boxers -- seven men and six women -- are assured of at least bronze medals after advancing to the last-four stage of the marquee continental championship.
Indian pugilists ended their campaign at the 17th Asian Games with five medals as Vikas Krishan and Satish Kumar settled for bronze medals after losing their semi-final bouts against respective opponents.
It turned out to be a largely disappointing day for Indian boxers at the Asian Games with former World Championship bronze-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) being the only one to advance, making the quarter-final, while three others fell by the wayside.
If you're looking for some fashion inspiration this Durga Pooja, Namrata Thakker has got you covered.
In a bout which had very few clear punches, Mary Kom prevailed 9-1 to make the squad
'I need this desperately to assess myself before the Olympics'
Glimpses of the stars Pradeep Bandekar encountered on Tuesday.
Merry Christmas has a breathtaking climax that will have you sighing like you've never sighed in a Sriram Raghavan movie before, applauds Sukanya Verma.
Hard core glamour and entertainment were the highlights of the second edition of the Pinkvilla Style Icons Awards, held in Mumbai over the weekend.
Pooja Vastrakar bowled a sharp and incisive spell to take the Indian women's cricket team to its maiden Asian Games final, crushing Bangladesh by eight wickets in a lopsided semi-final.
Indian athletes, including the boxers and shooters, hit the ground running as they started their pre-Olympic training, hoping to live up to massive expectations in the pandemic-hit Games in Tokyo.
Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom (51kg) and World Championship bronze-winner Shiva Thapa (56kg) were given the top billing in the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament draw held in Qian'an, China on Friday.
There's so much entertainment coming up in April, May, June 2023.
'I came to Bigg Boss so that I could explore and understand myself.'
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur started the new international season with a smashing half-century as the Indian women's team cantered to a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
'I hope Jad has seen the footage and he knows what he has done to ruin my reputation or my bond with people outside.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Amit Panghal (52kg) and Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) remained on course for their second successive international gold medals this year and India looked good to notch up its best ever performance in the Asian Boxing Championships.
Practically the entire Bollywood turned up.
M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Shiva Thapa (60kg) were among the prominent names assured of medals as the host nation continued to dominate the ring in the US $100,000 India Open boxing tournament for men and women, in Delhi, on Tuesday.
The stars Pradeep Bandekar spotted over the weekend.
Dharmendra celebrated his 87th birthday on December 8 with his family.
Deepa Gahlot picks the top 10 Karan Johar films -- some that he directed and others that he produced or co-produced -- that you can watch on steaming platforms.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Five-time world champion Mary Kom, returning to the ring after recovering from some niggles that kept her out of the Asian Games, prevailed 5-0 against Kazakhstan's Aigerim Kassanayeva to pick up India's lone senior category gold at the event on Saturday.
India's nine Olympic-bound boxers will travel abroad for a three-week training stint after getting a few days' break following a record-shattering medal haul by the country's pugilists at the recently-concluded Asian Championships in Dubai.
Sanjeet Kumar won a gold medal in the 91 kg weight category at the Asian Boxing Championships.
Keep your fashion foot forward this festive season and slay like a Bollywood diva.
Deepa Gahlot lists the most popular Yash Chopra films -- the ones he directed, not produced (yes, so that means no DDLJ) -- that can be watched on OTT.
Anupam Kher celebrated his friend Satish Kaushik's 67th birth anniversary on April 14 by hosting a musical night, and getting Kaushik's friends to share their memories about him.
Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) qualified for Tokyo Olympics by advancing to the semi-final with a comfortable win over Philippines' Irish Magno, at the Asia/Oceania Qualifiers in Amman, on Monday. World number one Amit Panghal (52kg) qualified for his maiden Olympic Games, while Manish Kaushik (63kg) remained in the hunt for a Tokyo ticket despite losing his quarter-final bout.
