0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, July 31, 2024
The fourth full competition day of Paris 2024 saw seeded boxers showcase exceptional skill and determination to progress into the next round.
Xu Zichun (red) of China competes against Irma Testa of Italy during the boxing women's 57kg preliminaries round of 32 match of Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)
2023 Pan American Games gold medalist Yunior Alcantara Reyes from the Dominican Republic downed Azerbaijan's Nijat Huseynov 5-0 to reach the men's 51kg quarterfinals, while Pang Cholmi of DPR Korea also sealed a 5-0 victory against Nigina Uktamova of Uzbekistan.
In the women's 57 kg bout, China's Xu Zichun faced Irma Testa of Italy. Despite a challenging start, Xu adjusted her strategy and defeated Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Testa 3-2.
"It's my first match in Paris, and my opponent was very strong, which put a lot of pressure on me. I lost the first round, and my coach told me not to worry about the result but to fight until the end, so I gave it my all," said Xu.
As the eighth seed in the women's 54 kg, Chang Yuan of China cruised past Ireland's Jennifer Lehane 5-0.
"As I came here in Paris, what I did was to relax myself. I was fully concentrated in the match today, seeing it as my last match of the Games, hoping to achieve a greater breakthrough from it, instead of thinking too much on winning the gold," said Chang.
All Chinese male boxers were knocked out of the event, as Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan lost to Cristian Javier Pinales of the Dominican Republic 5-0. Tuohetaerbieke, the top seed in the men's 80kg, struggled to overturn the situation in the second round, hitting Pinales' head with consecutive punches and once knocking him down, but could not turn the tables.
"He is a strong rival, but it's a pity that I focused too much on the tailored strategy of close and mid-range movements to the opponent, and didn't fully execute my own advantage," said Tuohetaerbieke.
