Boxing: Who is Li Qian, Pooja Rani's opponent in quarterfinals?
The Chinese boxer will be a tough nut to crack for Pooja
Pooja Rani romped to a comprehensive 5-0 win over Algerian boxer Ichrak Chaib in a women’s 75kg pre-quarterfinal match of the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday. Courtesy of her victory, she has progressed to the quarterfinals and will face Rio Olympic bronze medallist and former World champion Li Qian of China, who got past Aoife O'Rourke of Ireland in the previous round.
However, in the last eight, second-seeded Qian will prove to be a tricky opponent for Pooja Rani.
Who is Li Qian - the boxer who stands between Pooja Rani and an Olympic medal?
Li Qian began boxing in January 2007. She used to play basketball in school but was an avid follower of boxing. She is coached by Zhang Chuanliang of China. At 5ft 11 she is one of the towering boxers in the circuit and is three inches taller than Rani. In fact, while studying at the Inner Mongolia Vocational College of Physical Education, she drew the attention of Chinese boxing team coach Ha Dabater owing to her exceptional height and arm length.
Qian made her amateur debut in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. It was in the same tournament that she beat Rani for the first time in the semifinals of the competition, before settling for a silver.
The most recent defeat for Rani came at the Olympic qualification tournament in Amman, Jordan last year where she was beaten comprehensively 5-0.
Qian is a veteran of the sport and has several laurels to her name. In Rio 2016, she had to settle for a bronze after losing to another legend of the sport Nouchka Fontijin. Hence, this time around she is not willing to settle for anything less than gold.
However, she had her revenge over Fontijin in the 2018 World Championship where she defeated her 4-1 to win gold.
Qian also boasts of winning two successive Asian Championship gold in 2017 and 2019. Nonetheless, Rani is the current Asian Champion in the middleweight category and we can expect a feisty match between the two.
When is Pooja Rani vs Li Qian Tokyo Olympics boxing live in India?
Pooja Rani will take the ring against Qian on Saturday.