Former Asian Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) and the unheralded Gaurav Solanki (52kg) advanced to the semi-finals to assure themselves of medals at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria on Friday.
While Gaurav pummelled Kyrgyzstan’s Azat Usenaliev, Vikas edged past Kazakhstan’s Tursynbay Kulakhmet in a split verdict to make the last-four stage.
It is a significant victory for Vikas, who is returning to action after recovering from a hand injury, which forced him out of the national championships as well as the India Open last month.
Their victories took the total number of male boxers in the semi-finals to four.
Earlier, India Open gold-medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) also made the semi-final stage along with last edition’s silver-medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin (56kg).
India are now assured of nine medals in the tournament, five of them courtesy women boxers MC Mary Kom (48kg), L Sarita Devi (60kg), Seema Punia (+81kg), Saweety Boora (75kg), Mena Kumari Devi (54kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg).
While Mary Kom, Sarita, Saweety and Meena won their respective quarter-final contests, Seema and Bhagyabati got byes.
In her semi-final clash, Kom turned on the style as she advanced to the finals. The five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist, targetting her third successive international gold medal, thrashed with China’s Ye Jiali to make the summit clash.
-Inputs from PTI
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