Staff writer, with CNA, GREATER NOIDA, India
Three Taiwanese women on Wednesday advanced to the finals of the World Boxing Cup in India, including Olympic bronze medalists Wu Shih-yi and Chen Nien-chin.
Competing in the 65kg division against Neeraj Phogat of India, the 28-year-old Chen fell behind in the first two rounds of the semi-finals, but came out firing in the third round to pull off a comeback victory and secure a place in the finals, which were to begin at about press time last night.
Chen lost the first round, but wore down her opponent in the second. Although she ended the second round still slightly behind on points, she appeared confident going into the final round, as she launched an aggressive offensive, earning 10 points from all five judges to win the match.
Photo courtesy of Ko Wen-ming
After the bout, she told reporters that although she got off to a slow start, she knew she had the skills to win and just needed to adjust her approach.
“I just had to win,” Chen said, who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games last year.
She was to fight Dione Burman of England in the finals, which Chen said would give her a chance to end the season “on a perfect note” and propel her to next year’s Asian Games, which are to be based in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
Photo courtesy of the CTBA
Twenty-year-old Guo Yi-xuan of Taiwan also advanced to the finals of the World Cup tournament in Greater Noida, notching a 4-1 win over Zhansaya Rakhymberdi of Kazakhstan in the women’s 51kg semi-finals.
Guo came out strong in the first round, exchanging close-range punches to earn a slight lead. She maintained her strategy in the second round, countering effectively.
Despite a warning and a point deduction in the third round, she attacked fearlessly to secure victory.
Photo: CNA
Coach Ko Wen-ming said that Guo’s tactics were well executed.
Although she is small in stature, her quick footwork allowed her to close the distance and strike her opponent with each step, Ko said.
The victory against Rakhymberdi would boost Guo’s confidence, as Kazakh boxers are known to be generally very skilled, he said.
Photo : CNA
The third Taiwanese boxer to advance was Wu, who secured a strong 5-0 victory over South Korea’s Park Ah-hyeon in the 57kg semi-finals at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.
“I’m happy to reach the final, but I’m a bit nervous, as I’ll be facing a home-favorite Indian boxer. I just hope I can perform well,” Wu told reporters.
A bronze medalist at the Paris Olympics, Wu was to face Jaismine Lamboria of India, who won gold at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, in September.
Photo : CNA
Photo : CNA