Female boxer departs for Olympic qualifier

RWANDA’s lady boxer Pascaline Mugabekazi departs this Thursday for Beijing, China to compete in the Olympic qualifiers scheduled for May 11 to 19.Mugabekazi, who is seeking to qualify for London Olympic Games, will compete in bantam weight (54kg) category.She leaves barely a week after her male counterparts failed to compete in the Olympic qualifiers held in Morocco hence ending their hopes of taking in the London spectacle.The national boxing association technical director Gashugi Kananura, who will accompany as her trainer said yesterday, “Mugabekazi has no experience but she is the only female boxer in the country at the moment. Nonetheless, she has potential to battle elite boxers.”“It will be her first outing and I believe it will hard for her but she will gain experience from this competition for the benefit of her career,” added the veteran trainer.Gashugi and Mugabekazi were still waiting for their Chinese visas by press time yet their departure is set for this afternoon.The AIBA World Women’s Championships will see medal-hungry women boxers compete to secure one of 24 berths in the three London 2012 weight categories: 48-51 kg flyweight, 57-60 kg lightweight, and 69-75 kg middleweight.This is the only Olympic qualifying tournament for the women boxers.Competing in the 54kg category, Mugabekazi is aware of the tough competition given the limited berths on offer for the African region.

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Female boxer departs for Olympic qualifier