Pavitra’s valiant effort fell just short while Sonia Lather couldn’t figure things out at all as Indian boxers endured a winless day in the Asian Games at Jakarta.
Sonia, a two-time Asian and world silver-medallist, was up against North Korea’s Jo Son Hwa in her featherweight 57kg category quarter-final bout.
The Indian never quite got a measure of her opponent in a contest that could hardly be described as exciting. Jo was the one mounting most of the few attacks and being a southpaw, she became all the more difficult for the Indian to decipher.
Jo’s jabs connected powerfully but the bout wasn’t particularly impressive, given that both the boxers spent a considerable time clinching and holding. The duo ended up getting a warning each for clinching.
Pavitra took the ring against home favourite Huswatun Hasanah in the lightweight 60kg category. The Indian was a comprehensive winner in the first round, unaffected by the partisan crowd’s loud support for Hasanah.
However, Hasanah packed power in her punches from second round onwards, not missing a chance to connect. Pavitra, making her debut at the Games, stood her ground but the effort could not find favour with a majority of the judges, who ruled 3-2 in favour of the Indonesian.
The remaining quarter-finals will be held on Wednesday. Two-time Asian Games medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg), Amit Panghal (49kg), and Dheeraj Rangi (64kg) will fight it out for a place in the men’s semi-finals, while Sarjubala Devi (51kg) is the lone Indian woman left in fray.
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