Nishant Dev (71kg) made history as the first Indian male boxer to clinch a Paris Games quota by advancing to the semifinals of the Boxing Olympic qualifiers on Friday, May 31.
Nishant Dev 1st Indian male boxer to book Paris Olympic berth
The world championships bronze medalist, who had previously narrowly missed qualifying in earlier rounds, secured his spot after a decisive 5-0 victory over Vasile Cebotari of Moldova in the quarterfinals—a clash between two southpaws. This achievement marks India's fourth quota in boxing, following female boxers Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preet Pawar (54kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), who had already booked their tickets to Paris. The 71kg category offered five quotas in total. Throughout the tournament, Dev demonstrated dominance, starting strongly with sharp, precise punches. He maintained composure, strategically using his punches. During the second round, despite Cebotari landing some hits and Dev appearing slightly winded, the Indian persisted in delivering accurate punches.
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In the final three minutes, both boxers appeared exhausted, yet Dev continued to effectively land his punches. Cebotari received a point deduction for hitting Dev while he was down on the canvas. Previously, India's effort to secure a quota in the women's 60kg category came to an end when Ankushita Boro was narrowly defeated 2-3 by Agnes Alexiusson of Sweden in the quarterfinals. The 23-year-old Boro, a former youth world champion, began slowly but adapted by the end of the first round, effectively using straight jabs. Her efforts were convincing enough for one judge. Boro's opponent, a former European Games bronze medalist, leveraged her experience to edge past the Indian competitor.
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Trailing 1-4, Boro launched a vigorous attack with a combination of left jabs and right crosses. The Indian boxer was dynamic, and the 28-year-old Alexiusson struggled to match her pace. As they entered the third round evenly matched, Boro initially gained an advantage, but Alexiusson finished the bout stronger, ultimately securing a split decision victory. Later in the day, Arundhati Choudhary (66kg) and Amit Panghal (51kg) are scheduled to compete.
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