SAVANNAH MARSHALL will claim a place at this summer’s Olympics if she wins her quarter-final bout at the Women’s World Championships tomorrow.
Marshall takes on China’s Qian Li in the last eight, with all semi-finalists guaranteed a spot at the Rio Games if they have not already qualified.
The Hartlepool middleweight missed out on an Olympic place at the recent qualifying tournament, but is now just one win away from a second appearances at the Games after beating India’s Pooja Rani in the second round of the Worlds.
Rani started strongly in the pair’s four-round contest, but Marshall rode out the early storm and quickly gained control.
Her movement was always superior to that of her opponent, and she eventually claimed a unanimous points victory with all three judges marking her down as a 40-36 winner.
Tomorrow’s bout is likely to be much more difficult, with Li having started the World Championships, which are taking place in Kazakhstan, as the third seed. The Chinese fighter is already guaranteed a place at the Olympics.
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