Tough draw for Lakra

Beijing, Aug. 8: Lady luck did not smile on A.L. Lakra and a tough draw pitted the Indian against Athens Olympics bronze medallist Bahodirjon Sultonov in the first round of the 57 kg category boxing event at the Beijing Games here on Friday.

Lakra, who became the first Indian pugilist to qualify for the Beijing Olympics by virtue of his exploits in the Chicago World Championship last year, will have to be at his best to tame his Uzebek counterpart in the ring when the duo meet at the Workers’ Gymnasium on Monday.

None of the boxers in the five-member Indian contingent got a bye in the first round either. Of the five-member contingent, Vijender (75kg) got a relatively easy draw and the Haryana boxer hits the ring tomorrow with his first round bout against Jack Badaou of Gambia.

Badaou is the first boxer from Zambia to win a medal in an international event and he should not pose much problem to Vijender, who has raised expectations by beating Athens Olympics’ welter weight gold medalist Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan in the President’s Cup in Chinese Taipei.

Dinesh Kumar will also be in action on Saturday and he would meet Algerian Abdelhafid Benchabla in the 81 kg category. — PTI

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Archers ready

Beijing, Aug. 8: The Indian trio of Dola Banerjee, L. Bombayla Devi and Pranitha Vardhineni will battle it out with the best in the business when they hit the Olympic Green Archery Field here for the women’s individual ranking rounds on Saturday.

Bombayla has been paired against Elpida Romantzi of Greece and Elena Mousikou, while Pranitha will have Australian Alexandra Feeney and Kazak Anastassiya Bannova for company. Experienced Dola, mentioned in the official website as a medal contender, has Australian Jane Waller for company. — PTI