Irish Magno, 28, secures her spot via a unanimous victory over Sumaiya Qosimova
Photo from Inquirer Sports
Irish Magno booked her ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after defeating Tajikistan’s Sumaiya Qosimova in the flyweight division of the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifying tournament in Amman, Jordan on Mar.10.
The Filipina boxer won by unanimous decision after sweeping all three rounds, 5-0. The 28-year-old will join fellow boxer Eumir Felix Marcial, gymnast Carlos Yulo, and pole-vaulter EJ Obiena as the Philippines representatives to this year’s Tokyo Olympics in July.
“I’m so very happy,” Magno told the Olympic channel. “I always listened to my coach because we saw the fight of our opponent last time. We studied it.”
Meanwhile, SEA Games 2019 gold medalist Nesthy Petecio fell to Japan’s Sena Irie, 1-5, in the semifinals of the Asia-Oceania Olympic Featherweight tournament. Petecio admitted her disappointment after losing but the 27-year-old still has a shot to qualify for Tokyo at the World Olympic Qualifying tournament to be held in Paris France on May 13 and 14.
Moreover, the status of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still up in the air as the COVID-19 threat continues to strengthen. As of writing, multiple sports leagues both international and local like the NBA, PBA, and UAAP have postponed upcoming games due to the virus.
Click here to know which global sporting events have been affected by COVID-19.