The Hindu : Sport / Boxing : Vijender, Dinesh qualify

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Sunday, Mar 23, 2008
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Vijender, Dinesh qualify

New Delhi: Doha Asian Games bronze medallist Vijender and Dinesh Kumar booked berths for the Beijing Olympics after reaching the finals of the Asian Boxing Qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.

While Vijender thrashed Iranian Amiri Homayon 19-13 in the middleweight category, Dinesh (81kg) outscored Mandakhbayar of Mongolia in another semifinal clash.

The duo’s qualification takes the total number of Indian boxers in Beijing Olympics to four after A.L. Lakra (57kg) and Akhil Kumar (54kg) booked places in previous qualifying events.

Vijender will next take on Korean Cho Deok Jin, while Dinesh will now be up against Iranian Ghorbani Mehdi in the finals.

For Vijender, who had failed in his previous two bids, the triumph in Astana has come as a major reprieve.

“My morale was down coming into this tournament as I had not done all that well in the previous two attempts. This was my last chance and I can’t say how happy and relieved I am at having made the cut,” the 22-year-old said.

National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu also praised him. For Dinesh, it is his maiden Olympic qualification. “It is a dream realised and the feeling is yet to sink in,” he said. —PTI

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