Wu Yu is the first champion at the Asian Games
The first final was held in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China where a local girl, Wu Yu earned the title at the women’s light flyweight (50kg).
China’s Chang Yuan, the former Asian Games winner, returned to the national team in time to compete in Hangzhou at the bantamweight (54kg) and she won her semi-final against India’s Preeti Pawar opening the afternoon session. She will now meet for the title DPR Korea’s World Champion Pang Chol Mi who eliminated Uzbekistan’s 20-year-old Nigina Uktamova in the second semi-final. Chang and Pang faced each other in the final of the 2018 Asian Games and their next meeting will be held in this event.
India’s Lovlina Borgohain, the defending World Champion at the women’s middleweight (75kg), had a similar tall semi-final opponent, Thailand’s Baison Manikon but she had the routine to handle all of the tactical issues in their meeting. China’s World Champion and Olympic Games silver medallist Li Qian controlled her semi-final in this weight class against Vietnam’s Luu Diem Quynh and also advanced to the finals. Lovlina Borgohain and Li Qian earned the quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in this weight class.
DPR Korea’s So Chon Ryong is a new addition to their elite national team, but he impressed in this Asian Games at the men’s flyweight (51kg). The North Korean opened the first seconds with heavy shots against Saudi Arabia’s last remaining boxer, Abdulaziz Khalid Alatbi and he knocked out his opponent after 90 seconds. So Chon Ryong will meet for the Olympic spot in the semi-finals of the weight class Thailand’s Thitisan Panmod who eliminated China’s Zhang Jiamao.
Japan’s 2021 World Champion Tomoya Tsuboi moved down to the flyweight (51kg) successfully last year and he won two out of the three rounds against Kyrgyzstan’s Nurzhigit Dyushebayev today to join the semi-finals. Tsuboi can expect a hard fight in the last four as he will now face Uzbekistan’s Olympic Champion Hasanboy Dusmatov as next. The 30-year-old Uzbek star was too strong for Pakistan’s Zohaib Rasheed in his quarter-final bout winning the bout unanimously.
Chinese Taipei’s Kan Chia Wei and Turkmenistan’s Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov both surprised with their semi-final places at the men’s light middleweight (71kg) in Hangzhou. Kan opened the first round better and he had the advantage on the judges’ scorecards after three minutes. Nurmuhammedov found his best tempo only in the third round therefore Kan Chia Wei earned the unexpected Olympic quota in Hangzhou. Kan’s final opponent will be Japan’s 2021 World Champion Sewon Okazawa who eliminated Kazakhstan’s defending champion Aslanbek Shymbergenov in a hectic contest. China’s Wu Yu, the World Champion at the women’s flyweight (52kg), moved back to the light flyweight (50kg) in time to compete in this Asian Games. She advanced to the title contest in Hangzhou where she faced Thailand’s Chuthamat Raksat who bowed out India’s Nikhat Zareen, an unbeaten star in the last four. Wu Yu enjoyed her support from the thousands of local fans and she won the first title in the Asian Games.
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