The Boxing Road to Tokyo Asian/Oceanian qualifier continued today in Amman, Jordan.
The Tokyo 2020 qualifying event sees 221 athletes (151 men and 70 women) from 35 countries competing for 63 Olympic quota places in 13 weight categories (8 men’s and 5 women’s events).
Amman’s day-2 featured 24 bouts, played out in the ring of the Prince Hamza Hall, in the women’s fly, feather, light, and in the men’s fly and welter weights.
In the women’s featherweight (54-57kg), top seeded boxer Skye NICOLSON, a 2018 Commonwealth champion from Australia, secured a spot in the next phase of the competition by dominating in her bout against Mijgona SAMADOVA of Tajikistan. The 24-year old Australian boxer made no secret of her aims here in Amman: “I am not here only to qualify for the Games, I want to go to Tokyo as one of the favourites,” she said.
Skye’s late brother, Jamie Nicolson, was a decorated boxer who competed in the featherweight category at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 1990.He was killed in a car accident in 1994, along with his younger brother Gavin, while they were heading to training.
Skye, who was born in 1995, never got to meet him. But still she feels a deep connection to Jamie, and some boxing experts said they have similar styles. “I know my brother is looking down on me proud. He has always been an inspiration, he’s my idol.”
“When I first started, women’s boxing was nothing, it was not even an Olympic sport,” she continued. “I have been progressing with the sport through all levels and championships, and I guess this is my destiny.”
In 2016, she narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Rio Olympic Games. Two years later, in 2108, she won the Commonwealth Games, beating Michaela Walsh of Ireland with a 3:2 decision. Today, she’s ranked fifth in the world (according to the BTF world ranking), and is a top-seeded athlete for this Asian/Oceanian Boxing Road to Tokyo qualifier. To secure an Olympic quota place, she will need to finish in the top four here in Amman, winning another bout in the quarter-finals to be held on 9 March.
“Boxing is my life,” she added smiling, “but I am part-time studying PR and communication at university. Maybe one day I will be on the other side of the fence, sharing the mixed zone with you media people.”
Find all the results from Amman’s day-1 here: morning session, afternoon session.
The Boxing Road to Tokyo continental qualifiers will continue tomorrow, with 24 more preliminary bouts (find the detailed competition’s schedule here)
Follow the action live
Fans can watch the action live on the Olympic Channel, with all the women’s and men’s bouts across all weight categories available with commentary in English, Russian and Hindi. Coverage will be available in all territories worldwide for free at olympicchannel.com and on its apps for mobile and connected TV devices.
News, photos and results will be posted online on the dedicated Amman qualifier page of the Athlete365 Boxing Corner platform. We encourage fans to join the conversation online using the hashtag #Boxing.
