Petecio, Villegas Oust French Foes; Biggest Gainers, Losers in Paris Boxing
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 19 Aug 2024
Aira Villegas (L) and Nesthy Petecio (R).
In our tunnel vision-like focus of attention on how our boxers were faring in their quest for podium finish in the last Paris Summer Olympics, we may have overlooked the fact that Nesty Petecio and Aira Villegas were responsible in eliminating two fancied women boxers from the host France.
Petecio ousted Amina Zidani, 4-1, in the second round of the competition at women's featherweight while Villegas eliminated Wassila Lakhdiri, 3-2, in the quarterfinal round in the women's flyweight.
Any fear that judging will favor the host boxers were vanished with these results as the two French women boxers had qualified to the competitions on their own merit.
Zidani won the gold medal in the 2023 European Games held in Poland that secured her place in Paris. She defeated Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria in the finals of that qualifying Games.
At the same tournament Lhakdiri, in the gold medal match after three straight wins, lost to Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey in the light flyweight finals. But since there was no light flyweight division in Paris, France as host exercised its guaranteed quota to put her as among the entries at flyweight.
As host, France was guaranteed six spots in boxing, three each for men and women. But essentially it made use of this privilege to advance just four boxers including Lakhdiri and eventual men's super heavyweight bronze medalist Djamili Dini, Aboubou Moindze who just finished third in the European Games. Eventual men's silver medalists Billal Benmena (flyweight) and Sofianne Oumiha (lightweight) qualified by topping their class in the European Games. All in all, France fielded eight boxers in Paris and garnered two silvers and one bronze.
The Philippines qualified five to include Felix Marcial, Carlo Paalam and Hergie Bacyadan in the women's 75 kg class who qualified through the last qualifiers held in Thailand. Our team went home with two bronze medals courtesy of Petecio and Villegas.
Uzbekistan send 11 boxers to Paris and won the overall championship with five golds, all in men. First runner up China qualified eight and went home with three golds and two silvers all in women's boxing.
Chinese Taipei sent six and reaped one gold through the controversial Lin Yu Ting and two bronzes.
Cuba qualified five boxers and won a gold through Erislandy Lazaro at lightweight and a bronze through deposed defending champion Arlen Lopez at light heavyweight. Cuba suffered with the non return of their two previous gold winners Julio La Cruz, Andy Cruz and Roniel Iglesias.
Algeria sent five and won a gold through the equally controversial Imane Kheilif who like Lin were questioned for their gender identity.
Ukraine had three boxers and won a gold through former Marcial middleweight rival foe Oleksander Khrisniak who ruled the light heavyweights in his first try.
Qualifying ten boxers each are Ireland, Kazakhstan and Brazil with only Ireland hitting a gold and Kazakhstan a couple of medals. Brazil did worst with just a bronze. The US qualified eight but won just a bronze through Omari Jones, a big dip from their last four medals in Tokyo.
Australia qualified the most number of entries with 12 but just reaped two bronzes through Charlie Senior in the men's and Caitlin Parker in women's. It would have been more disastrous had Senior not gained the nod over Paalam in their controversial quarterfinal match.
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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