Busenaz Surmeneli reaches semi-finals at Tokyo Olympics

By Erkan Tiryaki

TOKYO (AA) - Turkish female boxer Busenaz Surmeneli beat her opponent Friday to advance to the semi-finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The 23-year-old Surmeneli competed against Ukrainian athlete Anna Lysenko in the quarter-finals of the women’s 69 kilogram division at Kokugikan Arena.

Surmeneli also made history as she became the first Turkish athlete to be guaranteed an Olympic medal in women's boxing.

Her semi-final match will take place on Aug. 4.

Earlier this year, Surmeneli told Anadolu Agency that she has been dreaming of winning a medal at the Olympics since her childhood.

Though boasting a number of impressive boxing honors, she admitted that bringing home a medal from Tokyo would fill an important gap.

"The Olympics are my childhood dream. I still live with a dream," she said at the time.

The Games, which were originally scheduled to take place in 2020, were among a host of worldwide sporting events suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tokyo 2020 Games are being held from July 23 to Aug. 8 but without foreign spectators due to health safety concerns.