The celebrated M C Mary Kom led the charge by assuring herself a sixth medal at the Asian women's Boxing Championships, as three Indians entered the semi-finals of the continental showpiece in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Saturday.
Advancing to the medal round, along with Mary Kom, were Shiksha (54kg) and Priyanka Chaudhary (60kg).
Mary Kom, a five-time World champion and Olympics bronze medallist, defeated Chinese Taipei's Meng-Chieh Pin in a split verdict in the quarter-finals to make the last four stage of the light-flyweight (48kg) category.
The 34-year-old, who has won four gold and a silver medal in her five previous appearances at the event, will face Japan's Tsubasa Komura in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
The medal she is guaranteed of is Mary Kom's first in more than a year and a massive confidence-booster for the boxer who missed Olympic qualification last year.
"It feels wonderful to get my sixth medal at this championship. It hasn't been easy for me but God has been kind to ensure that I have managed to perform. This is my first medal in more than a year and the first after I became an MP (Member of Parliament)," Mary Kom said.
"It really does mean a lot to me given that I juggle so many roles. I am simply ecstatic right now, but I have two more fights to go before I get what I truly desire, a gold medal," said the mother-of-three, who is a Rajya Sabha MP.
In a rather cautiously-fought bout, neither the Indian nor her opponent was willing to launch too many attacks. The punches were few and far between, at least in the opening three minutes.
However, the two boxers upped the intensity in the second round. Pin, also the taller of the two pugilists, was the first to break away from the waiting game and began using her left straights and right hooks rather effectively.
However, Mary Kom too raised her game against the nimble-footed Pin, who displayed impressive defensive tactics.
"I have beaten her in the past when she was in the 51kg category. Today she seemed too cautious and didn't attack me much. I also played along and waited. This eventually worked for me quite well," Mary Kom said.
"She is an experienced boxer but I have a good measure of her game," she added.
The Manipuri went all out in the last round and more than made up for a patchy display in the opening round to get the judges' nod.
Shiksha, who belongs to the Railways Sports Promotion Board, was up next for the country, against Uzbekistan's Ferangiz Khoshimova. The National champion took an attacking approach from the first ring of the bell and hardly gave her rival any breathing space.
The unrelenting aggression eventually fetched Shiksha a unanimous verdict. She will face Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-Ting in the semi-finals.
Priyanka too was a dominant force in her clash against Sri Lanka's Dulanjani Lankapurayalage and had no trouble earning a 5-0 victory.
However, World championships silver-medallist Saweety Boora (75kg), up against Olympic bronze-medallist Li Qian, bowed out after losing 0-5.
Priyanka too was a dominant force in her clash against Sri Lanka's Dulanjani Lankapurayalage and had no trouble earning a 5-0 victory.
However, World championships silver-medallist Saweety Boora (75kg), up against Olympic bronze-medallist Li Qian, bowed out after losing 0-5.
File Image: MC Mary Kom celebrates winning her bout.
Photograph: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
