Tokyo Olympics: MC Mary Kom enters pre-quarters, outwits spirited Miguelina Hernandez Garcia

India's MC Mary Kom has eased into the Tokyo Olympics boxing pre-quarters. (Source: Twitter)

Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom (51kg) powered into the Olympic Games’ pre-quarterfinals after staving off a stiff challenge from Dominican Republic's Miguelina Hernandez Garcia in the opening round in Tokyo on Sunday (June 25). The 38-year-old, who is a 2012 Olympic bronze-medallist, prevailed 4-1 against a rival who is 15 years her junior and a Pan American Games bronze-medallist.

In a bout that was exciting from start to finish, Mary Kom displayed some brilliant tactics to overcome the spirted fight that Garcia put up. If she held back in the opening round to get a good measure of her rival, the veteran was aggression personified in the final three minutes after Garcia bagged the second round with some fierce punching of her own.

The youngster from Dominica had the stomach for a fight but was undone by her inability to strike clearly. Mary Kom, a mother of four, will next be up against third-seeded Colombian medallist Ingrit Valencia, who was a bronze-medallist at the 2016 Rio Games.

China women keep diving gold streak alive

China claimed its first diving gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, keeping its winning streak in the sport rolling in the women’s events. Aiming for a clean sweep of all eight diving golds on offer in women’s and men’s events, the Asian powerhouse claimed the women`s 3 metres synchronised springboard tile with Shi Tingmao and Wang Han leading the five-round final from the very start, finishing on 326.40 points.

Cheers from teammates and coaches rang around the mostly empty venue when the duo plunged into the pool with almost no splash on their last dive, showing once again their dominance of the event. China has now won each of the five Olympic titles in the women’s synchronised 3 metre springboard since the event made its Olympic debut in 2000.