Aussie boxer becomes first CWG medallist even before Games begin

April 04, 2018 05:28 pm | Updated 05:28 pm IST - Gold Coast

 Team Australia is lead by flag bearer Mark Knowles at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Team Australia is lead by flag bearer Mark Knowles at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Australian boxer Taylah Robertson has become the first medallist of the 21st Commonwealth Games without even stepping into the ring after she got a bye straight into the 51kg category women’s semifinals.

The 19-year-old has got what is called the lucky medal due to the small size of her draw, luck that eluded Indians, including the celebrated M. C. Mary Kom (48kg), who will fight her quarterfinal contest on April 8.

Robertson said she wouldn’t stop just at a bronze in what is her debut appearance at the Games. India have not fielded any boxer in the 51kg category for women boxers.

“I want the gold medal and I am not going into the ring here to win bronze,” she said.

“It’s nice to have a medal but I want gold - and with all the training I’ve done, I want to earn it. I am not worried about who I meet in the semifinal, I am ready,” she added.

Robertson’s semifinal is scheduled for April 13, while the boxing competition will get under way at the Oxenford Studios on Thursday.

India will just have 2010 CWG gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (69kg) in action tomorrow.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.