Beijing a win away for Lakra, Jitender

A L Lakra and Jitender Kumar moved one step closer to Olympic qualification by advancing to the pre-quarter finals of the World Boxing championships.

A L Lakra and Jitender Kumar moved one step closer to Olympic qualification by advancing to the pre-quarter finals of the World Boxing championships. However, Doha Asian Games bronze medallist Vijender crashed out in the second round here.

Commonwealth champion Lakra thrashed Tajikistan’s Bahodir Karimov 25-6 in the featherweight category while Afro-Asian Games gold medallist Jitender got the better of German Ronny Beblik in the flyweight category.

The duo is now just a win away from booking a berth for the 2008 Olympics as making the quarter finals would be enough to assure themselves a trip to Beijing.

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However, it was the end of the road for Vijender as the Arjuna awardee bowed out with a surprise loss to Venezuelan Alfonso Blanco in the second round of middle weight category.

The 21-year-old went down 8-13 and will now have to wait until next year’s Asian qualifiers to qualify for Beijing 2008.

Meanwhile, Jitender will next take on Russian Georgy Balakshin, who had earlier defeated Kazakhstan’s Nurlan Uulu Aidarbek 25-11, while Lakra will square off against Shahin Imranov of Azerbaijan.

Imranov defeated Latvian Valentins Morozovs 24-9 at the University of Illinois Pavillion here.

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