Astana (Kazakhstan): Eyeing a medal as well as an Olympic berth, Asian Games bronze-medallist Pooja Rani (75kg) entered the pre-quarterfinal of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships with a hard-fought triumph over Ukraine's Mariya Borutsa here yesterday.

In the non-Olympic categories, Nikhat Zareen (54kg) and Sonia Lather (57kg) emerged triumphant to enter the pre-quarterfinals of their respective categories. Rani was the last Indian boxer to take the ring today and she ensured that the night ended on a high for the country. The scoreline, however, did not give a fair assessment of
the fight that Rani had to ensure a win.