Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom has failed to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the AIBA Asian and Oceanic Olympic boxing qualification event in Qian’an, China, losing her semi-final bout against Chinese boxer Ren Cancan 0-3 in the 51kg category.
Although Mary can no longer qualify for the Olympics at this specific event, she could still have a shot at Rio 2016 through other AIBA qualification events ahead of the Games in Brazil this August.
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The five-time World Amateur Boxing Champion was the only female Indian boxer to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012, eventually finishing in third. She was also the lone Indian woman left standing at the qualifiers in China, with Sarita Devi handed a quarter-final exit by Luu Thi Duyen of Vietnam.
Shiva Thapa has become the first Indian boxer to qualify for the 2016 Olympics, beating Kazakhstan’s Kairat Yeraliyev 3-0 in the semi-finals of the boxing qualifiers.
Laishram Devendro Singh (49kg) also progressed to the semi-finals at the event, but lost his bout against top-seeded Roger Ladon of the Philippines. Devendro has multiple shots at renewed Olympic participation, however. Should he defeat the loser of the other semi-final bout at the qualifiers, he can still qualify directly himself.
The other option for Devendro is to participate, as will Mary Kom, in the next qualification event.
