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On a day of mixed fortunes for Indian boxers, 2018 World Championships bronze medalist Simranjit Kaur saw her debut Olympic campaign come to an end in Tokyo on Friday. Kaur was blanked 0-5 by Thailand's two-time World Championships medalist Sudaporn Seesondee in a 60kg pre-quarterfinal bout that was thoroughly dominated by the latter.
As Kaur bows out of the Tokyo Olympics 2021, here are three talking points from her loss:
#1 Simranjit Kaur made a nervous start to the first round
Simranjit Kaur clearly felt the nerves on her Olympic debut and that didn't help matters. The Thai, on the other hand, has had multiple medals from the World Championships and also won the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games.
The gulf in the level of experience was evident throughout the bout as Sudaporn Seesondee made a confident start.
The Thai stormed out of the blocks with intent and aggression and Simranjit had no answer to that. The Indian looked nervous and that boosted Sudaporn's confidence further.
After a few blows, Simranjit woke up and started getting into the rhythm. She went for a few jabs but the Thai's left and right combination of punches connected better.
There was no doubt about who the better boxer was in the opening round as the judges voted unanimously in favor of the Thai.
#2 Simranjit struggled to keep a balance between offense and defense
Simranjit Kaur put up a better display in the second round but her killer punch was missing.
She stormed out of the blocks with a burst of speed. Both boxers were aggressive but the Thai was more calculated with her punches which mostly hit the target. Simranjit remained intense but she failed to connect. And that made a huge difference.
Moreover, the Indian struggled to keep a balance between offense and defense. She would time and again let her guard down whenever she attempted to go for her jabs and punches.
Kaur's fortunes remained unchanged even at the end of the second round as the Thai pugilist unanimously bagged the round once again.
#3 Simranjit Kaur looked overmatched
Simranjit once again charged out in the final round with body blows. She had the height advantage but the Thai's experience did the trick. She knew how to smartly evade the Indian whenever the latter would go on the offense.
It continued till the end with the Indian trying hard but that didn't help her cause. Simranjit Kaur was clearly overmatched and her lack of experience at the highest level titled the bout in favor of the Thai.
