PARIS: Debutant Indian boxer Preeti Pawar defeated Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh in the women's 54kg category first-round bout to enter the pre-quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics.
Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti opened the proceedings for India with a dominant 5-0 victory on points. The 20-year-old from Haryana was unimpressive in the first round as her Vietnamese opponent dictated the proceedings. But the Indian came back strongly in the next two rounds, attacking and landing clear blows on her opponent.
Preeti will face second seed and world championships silver-medallist Colombia's Marcela Yeni Arias in the round of 16 clash on Tuesday.