Asian Games boxing selection trials: Tokyo Olympian Simranjit Kaur loses out to Jaismine

Tokyo Olympian Simranjit Kaur failed to make the cut for Asian Games 2022 after being stunned by Jaismine in the 60kg weight category at the national boxing selection trials held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Jaismine, bronze medallist at Asian championships last year, defeated Simranjit Kaur by a 5-2 split verdict to book her place in the Indian team for the Hangzhou Games in September.

Apart from the trials in 60kg, selections were also held in two more weight divisions - 57kg and 75kg – at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.

Former Asian championships bronze medallist Manisha Moun, competing in her pet 57kg weight class, defeated former world championship silver medallist Sonia Lather 6-1 to qualify for the continental meet.

In the 75kg weight category, Saweety Boora, another world championships silver medallist, beat Kachari Bhagyabati by a 5-2 split decision to seal her Asian Games 2022 place.

The selection trials for the remaining two Asian Games weight categories - women’s 51kg and women’s 69kg - will be held separately, from March 11 to 14.

Tokyo Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain competes in the 69kg category while Nikhat Zareen, who defeated Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Busenaz Cakiroglu in the Strandja Memorial last month, is expected to feature in the 51kg weight class.

The Asian Games 2022 will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10 to 25.

The national selection trials for all the eight men’s categories at Asian Games (52kg, 57kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg, +91kg) will be held in May.

For the Commonwealth Games 2022, selection trials for both men and women boxers will be held in June.