Thai Boxer Natthanitcha Advances to Asian Games Gold Medal Match
Thai boxer Natthanitcha Chongprongklang rallied from behind to beat Japan's Namiki Tsukimi 3-2 in the 54kg semifinal, advancing to the Asian Games gold medal match.
Natthanitcha Chongprongklang, a Thai-New Zealand amateur boxer and the only Thai amateur boxer remaining in this Asian Games competition, faced Japanese host nation boxer Namiki Tsukimi in the 54 kg semifinal on September 29 at Nichio Gymnasium in Japan.
In the first round, Natthanitcha trailed as Namiki used her height and reach advantage to dictate the exchanges. Despite Natthanitcha landing cleaner combinations, she fell behind on the scorecards 2-3. In the second round, Natthanitcha continued to press forward and land sharp shots, but remained behind 1-4 on the cards. This forced Natthanitcha to go all-out in the third round while Namiki focused on controlling the tempo. Natthanitcha turned the fight around, defeating Namiki 3-2 on points to secure her place in the final.
