Great Britain’s Charley-Sian Taylor Davison has made history as the first boxer to secure a qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In the Women’s 54kg quarterfinals at the III European Games, Davison emerged victorious against Sweden’s Zehra Milli, securing her spot in the tournament’s semifinals, and booking a ticket to Paris.
Davison, who previously participated in the Tokyo Olympics and finished in 9th place, is a mother of three from Lowestoft (GBR), who staid seven years away from the sport to start a family before Tokyo 2020, after having won several junior medals. Today, she said: “I am so happy; this is a dream coming true. I had already competed in Tokyo, and it didn’t go so well there as I was inexperienced. But this time is different, I have worked hard, the experience is there, now, I believe in myself, now.”
Looking ahead, Davison will face Bulgaria’s Stanimira Petrova in the semifinals on June 30. Petrova secured her own Paris 2024 quota by defeating Ireland’s Jennifer Lehane with a resounding 5-0 score.
In the larger context of the tournament, a total of 44 quota places are up for grabs across 13 weight categories during this Boxing Road to Paris qualifier. Thirty-6 of these quotas are set to be distributed today, with 18 allocated in the afternoon session and another 18 in the evening session.
As the afternoon session progressed, two Olympic champions swiftly added their names to the list of Paris 2024 qualified athletes.
Kellie Harrington from Ireland, the 2020 Olympic Champion in the Women’s 60kg category, secured a well-deserved 4-1 split decision victory against Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson. Harrington’s win advances her to the semifinals and secures her place in the Paris 2024 Games, where she will defend her title. Shortly after, Estelle Mossely, the Rio 2016 gold medalist from France, triumphed over Kosovo’s Donjeta Sadiku with a 4-1 decision, securing her own quota place. The clash between these two champions in the upcoming semifinal promises to be a spectacle on June 30 at the Nowy Targ Arena.
The other two Women’s 60kg quarterfinal winners, Gizem Ozer (TUR) and Natalia Shadrina (SRB), who claimed their victories against Hanna Okhrei (UKR) and Sara Beram (CRO) respectively, also earned qualification for Paris 2024.
In the Women’s 66kg quarterfinals, Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori showcased her dominance with a commanding 5-0 win over Luna Amaro Beeloo from the Netherlands, securing her Paris 2024 quota. She will meet Belgium’s Oshin Derieuw in the semifinals, who secured her own qualification with a narrow 3-2 victory over France’s Emilie Sonvico. Additionally, Great Britain’s Rosie Joy Eccles claimed her spot in the next Games with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Ireland’s Amy Broadhurst. Eccles faces a formidable opponent in the semifinals, 2020 Olympic Champion Busenaz Surmeneli from Turkey, who dashed the hopes of Poland’s Aneta Rygielska with a commanding 5-0 decision.
In the Men’s 51kg weight class, only two Paris 2024 Quota Places are to be awarded at the III European Games, meaning that only the two finalists will secure their berths for Paris. Great Britain’s Kiaran Bradley Macdonald emerged victorious with a commanding 5-0 decision against Serbia’s Omer Ametovic, propelling him to the semifinals where he will face France’s Billal Bennama. The other semifinal features Turkey’s Samet Gumus and Italy’s Federico Emilio Serra, both securing their spots with impressive 5-0 victories.
Ireland’s Dean Clancy showcased his prowess in the Men’s 63.5kg category with a dominant performance against Italy’s Gianluigi Malanga, earning a qualification for Paris 2024. He will face off against France’s Sofiane Oumiha, the Rio 2016 silver medalist, in the semifinals. Another thrilling quarterfinal saw Georgia’s Lasha Guruli secure a Paris 2024 Quota with a resounding 5-0 victory over Bulgaria’s Radoslav Simeonov Rosenov, mirroring the feat achieved by Richard Kovacs from Hungary in his match against Aleksej Vitorovic Sendrik from Serbia.
Italy celebrated their first Olympic quota place in the Men’s 80kg event, as Salvatore Cavallaro dominated his bout against Gradus Kraus from the Netherlands with a sharp 5-0 performance. His next challenge will be none other than Ukraine’s Tokyo 2020 Silver medalist, Oleksandr Khyzhniak, in what promises to be a spectacular and breathtaking matchup. Croatia’s Gabrijel Veocic also claimed his Paris 2024 ticket with a convincing 5-0 win, setting up a highly anticipated encounter with Azerbaijan’s Murad Allahverdiyev, who dashed Armenia’s hopes with a resounding 5-0 victory over Hambardzum Hakobyan.
Moving forward in the tournament, Jack Marley from Ireland secured a place in the semifinals of the Men’s 92kg category by defeating Marko Calic from Croatia with a 4-1 score. Marley’s upcoming challenge is Spain’s Enmanuel Reyes Pla, with the winner securing a qualification slot for the Games. In the same weight category, Italy’s Aziz Abbes Mouhiidine advanced to the other semifinal alongside Mateusz Bereznicki from Poland.
As the III European Games continue to unfold, the stakes are high for the athletes competing for their Paris 2024 quota places. Follow today’s evening session, where 18 more Olympic berth will be awarded in 5 weight categories.
Results: https://results.european-games.org/EG2023/ENG/reports/BOX/all-event/
Photos: https://boxing.athlete365.org/boxing-road-to-paris-2024/europ-photo-galleries/
Videos: https://europeangames.tv/sports/boxing
Paris 2024 Quota places awarded today:
