Sixth-seed Manju Rani defeated top seed Kim Hyang Mi of North Korea 4-1 to confirm atleast a bronze medal for India in 48kg category at World Boxing Championships. Competing in her first Worlds tournament, Rani made it into the semifinal.
Earlier, the World Championships debutant demolished Venezuela’s Rojas Tayonis Cedeno 5-0 to enter the quarter-finals of light flyweight category (48kg) in Ulan-Ude, Russia. Speaking after making it to the quarters, she had spoken about making a name in the category which was previously dominated by Mary Kom.
“The pressure was there as Mary didi has won so many medals for India in this category. But it was also a motivation to not let her down. I wanted to give everything to win a medal for my country,” she said.
The Haryana girl has quickly made an impact since changing her state and playing for Punjab. She made the switch as she felt she was not getting her due in Haryana. “I was not able to win medals all the while I was playing for Haryana. When I switched to Punjab last year, it turned my fortunes as I started doing well in domestic circuit and got noticed. Last year, I won three international medals and made my world cup debut in a year’s time.”
Manju had won the national title in 48kg early this year and never looked back. This year, she has won silver in Strandza besides bronze at Thailand Open and India Open. Hailing from a humble family in Rohtak, Rani lost her father early when she was just 12 but found her calling in boxing.
In other results, in the day, Mary Kom defeated Colombia’s Valencia Victoria via a unanimous 5-0 verdict to reach the final four. Later, Kavita Chahal Devi lost to Belarus’ Katsiaryna Kavaleva in +81kg heavyweight category via a split 4:1 verdict.
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