London: Star boxer Vijender Singh is only a bout away from repeating his medal performance of the Beijing Games following a narrow win in the pre-quarterfinals at the London Olympics 2012 on Thursday.
Vijender pipped US rival Terrel Gausha 16-15 in a thrilling bout to enter the quarterfinal of the men`s 75 kg boxing category. He will now fight Uzbek Abbos Atoev for a place in the semifinal. Victory over Atoev will assure Vijender of a medal, as both losing semi finalists are given bronze in the competition.
The Indian starts a clear favourite against the Uzbek as Vijender had blanked him 7-0 in the 2010 Asian Games final, that too with an injured hand.
However, prior to Vijender’s bout Jai Bhagwan was outpunched by his Kazakh opponent Gani Zhailauov 8-16, dashing medal hopes from the event.
Agencies
First Published: Friday, August 3, 2012, 11:36
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