Manju Rani enters World boxing quarters
NEW DELHI: Competing in a category that MC Mary Kom has made her own, Manju Rani must have felt the pressure while entering the ring. But the World Championships debutant did not show any nerves as she demolished Venezuela’s Rojas Tayonis Cedeno 5-0 to enter the quarter-finals of light flyweight category (48kg) in Ulan-ude, Russia.
Rani said she just wanted to give it her all. “The pressure was there as Mary didi has won so many medals for India in this category. But it was also a motivation to not let her down. I wanted to give everything to win a medal for my country,” she said.
However, the next round will not be that easy as Rani faces 2018 bronze-medallist and top seed Kim Hyang Mi of South Korea.
A semi-final spot will ensure a medal for Rani.
The Haryana girl has quickly made an impact since changing her state and playing for Punjab. She made the switch as she felt she was not getting her due in Haryana.
“I was not able to win medals all the while I was playing for Haryana. When I switched to Punjab last year, it turned my fortunes as I started doing well in domestic circuit and got noticed. Last year, I won three international medals and made my world cup debut in a year’s time,” she said.
She won the national title in 48kg early this year and never looked back. This year, she has won silver in Strandza besides bronze at Thailand Open and India Open.
Hailing from a humble family in Rohtak, Rani lost her father early when she was just 12 but found her calling in boxing.
SUMIT NAGAL RISES
NEW DELHI: Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal on Monday achieved a career-best ranking of 129 after jumping six places in the latest men’s singles rankings.
The 22-year-old Nagal, who has been in good form of late, reaped the benefit of a semi-final finish at the ATP Challenger Campinas in Brazil last week.
Nagal had attainted his career-best ranking of 135 after jumping 26 spots, riding on a title finish at the Buenos Aires ATP Challenger clay event in Argentina last month.