PH Top Ten in Tokyo Olympic Boxing; Cuba Regains Overall Championship
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 08 Aug 2021
Olympic medalists (L-R) Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio.
After bagging a pair of silver medals and a bronze medal, the Philippines finished in top ten of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics boxing competitions that Cuban boxers regained overall championship after being upstaged in the past two quadrennial games.
Nesthy Petecio at women's featherweight and Carlo Paalam at men's flyweight accounted for the pair of silver medals while Eumir Felix Marcial won the bronze at men's middleweight bringing the Philippines to a tie for the eighth to ninth place overall with the USA. Of the four Philippine boxers that qualify, only women's flyweight bet Irish Magno did not won a medal, reaching only as far as the Round of 16.
Cuba with four gold medals all won in men's boxing, topped the tournament participated by boxers from 24 countries which vied for a total of 52 (13 gold, 13 silver and 26 bronze) medals in the eight weight classes in men's boxing and five weight classes in the distaff side.
Cuba struck gold through Roniel Iglesias, Arlen Lopez and Julio Cesar LA Cruz who all won in their new divisions: welterweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, respectively, making them two time gold medalists in second weight classes. The three were winners in 2016 Rio Olympics but at divisions one weight lower.
The fourth gold medal for the Caribbean Island Republic was delivered by Andy Cruz who beat Keyshawn Davis of the USA in the lightweight finals later today.
Great Britain which unseated the Cubans when it hosted the Olympics in 2012 in London, came a distant second overall with two golds, one each in the men's and women's boxing competitions through Galal Yafai in the men's flyweight and Lauren Price who beat Li Quan of China in the women's middleweight finals also today. The UK also won 2 silvers and 2 bronzes.
Brazil came third overall with one gold and one silver medals through Hebert Conceicao Sousa who won the men's middleweight finals yesterday by a "last gasp" knockout of Ukraine's Oleksander Khyzhniak and Beatriz Ferreira who lost to Kallie Harrington of Ireland in the women's lightweight finals also today.
Sousa was Brazil's only second Olympic boxing gold medalist after Robson Conceicao who won at lightweight at 2016 Rio. He bettered the silver medal finish of Esquiva Falcao in the same middleweight division in the 2012 London Games. Ferreria also made history as the first Brazilian women's boxing Olympic medalist.
The Russian Olympic Committee came fourth with just one gold through Albert Batyrgaziev at men's featherweight although it won a total of 6 medals. Turkey, Japan, Ireland, Bulgaria and Uzbekistan notched the next five slots with at least one gold medal each.
Uzbekistan which won the overall championship in the 2016 Rio, garner just one gold through Bakhtomir Jalolov at super heavy weight after besting Richard Torrez, Jr of the USA likewise later today.
United States is tied with the Philippines at ninth place with two silvers and one bronze each. The American silver medalists are Duke Ragan at men's featherweight and Richard Torrez, Jr. at super heavyweight while the lone American bronze winner is Oshae Jones at women's welterweight.
China is tenth with two silver medals.
Regular amateur boxing nations as Ukraine, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Chinese Taipei, Italy also did not fare well in Tokyo, landing just a silver or a couple of bronze.
Bringing up the rear is Thailand with just a bronze medal through Susan Sosandee at women's lightweight. Thailand sent a total of five, three women and two male boxers to Tokyo.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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