Jasmine made a dazzling start to her senior international career sending star USA boxer Andrea Medina packing 5-0 to enter 57kg semi-finals while Asian champion Pooja Rani entered the 75kg semi-finals assuring four medals for India at the 35th Boxam International Boxing Tournament in Castellon, Spain.
However, two-time world bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) bowed out after a quarter-final loss.
Boxing: Mary Kom makes Boxam International semis in first tournament on return, Kaushik reaches QF
Haryana girl Jasmine, who was scouted during an open challenge before participating at the national camp last year, showed her skill in her debut bout at the senior international stage as she blanked the silver medallist from the recently-concluded Strandja Memorial Tournament to advance into the semi-finals.
In late night bouts on Wednesday, Olympic-bound Rani defeated Italian Assunta Canfora. Rani is a three-time Asian medallist and also a 2014 Asian Games bronze-winner.
The duo joined veteran MC Mary Kom (51kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) in the last-four stage.
However, Borgohain, who has also qualified for the Tokyo Games, lost 0-5 to Russia’s Saadat Dalgatova to make a surprisingly early exit from the tournament. Asian bronze-winner Manisha Moun (57kg) was another Indian to be ousted from contention when she was defeated 0-5 by Italian Irma Testa in the quarter-finals.
On Thursday, eight Indian male boxers will fight it out to make the medal rounds.
The list comprises the Olympic-bound five of Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), and Satish Kumar (+91kg) along with Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg) and Sanjeet (91kg).
Boxers from 17 countries, including Russia, USA, Italy, Kazakhstan and Spain, are participating in the event.
