Sadie Kenosi of Botswana became the first athlete to secure a place in the Olympic boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020 ©Olympic Channel

Sadie Kenosi of Botswana became the first athlete to secure a place in the Olympic boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020 after winning her semi-final at the African qualifier in Dakar.

Kenosi justified her billing as the top seed in the women's featherweight division as she progressed to the final with victory over Widad Bertal of Morocco at the Dakar International Expo Centre.

The Botswanan is the first boxer from any country to qualify for Tokyo 2020 under a process being led by an International Olympic Committee taskforce after the International Boxing Association's recognition was suspended in June.

"When I got into the ring today I was confident that I would book my ticket to Tokyo from this fight," Kenosi said, according to the Olympic Channel.

"That’s all that was going on in my head - the Olympics. 

"This win means a lot for women boxing, we are not many in Gaborone. 

"And for me to come here and become the first qualifier in boxing from Botswana is huge."

Khouloud Moulahi of Tunisia will join Kenosi in the featherweight category at Tokyo 2020 after beating the Democratic Republic of Congo's Marcelat Matshu Sakobi.

Winners of all semi-finals sealed a place at this year's Olympics on the seventh day of action in the Senegalese capital.

Patrick Chinyemba of Zambia, considered a rising star in the men's flyweight division, booked his Tokyo 2020 ticket with a split decision victory over Mozambique's Juliano Maquina.

Mohamed Flissi of Algeria, seeded second, also qualified to box in the flyweight event at the Games by defeating Ghana's Tetteh Sulemanu.

Tokyo 2020 will mark Flissi's third Olympic appearance after he competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jonas Jonas of Namibia, who lost his opening bout at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro upset Moroccan top seed Abdelhaq Nadir at lightweight.

Jonas will be joined by Richarno Colin of Mauritius, who ousted the Democratic Republic of Congo's Fiston Mulumba.

Abdelhafid Benchabla qualified for his fourth successive Olympic Games as the Algerian overcame Egypt's Youssef Ali Moussa in the heavyweight category.

Benchabla, who has reached the quarter-finals at his last three Olympics, will compete in the heavyweight event for the first time at the Games.

The other heavyweight spot in Tokyo went to 20-year-old Youness Baalla Morocco, who beat Kenya's Elly Ochola 4-1.