This afternoon at the North Paris Arena, eight thrilling quarterfinal bouts unfolded, producing eight new Paris 2024 medalists across the Men’s 57kg, Men’s 71kg, Women’s 50kg, and Women’s 66kg categories. The tournament also saw its first semifinal match, which awarded the first bronze medal of the competition.
In the Women’s 60kg semifinal, Wenlu YANG (CHN) became the first finalist of the Paris 2024 boxing tournament, securing a spot in the gold-medal match with a commanding 5:0 unanimous decision victory over Shih Yi WU (TPE). YANG’s aggressive strategy left WU struggling to defend, resulting in a decisive win for the Chinese boxer. As a result, WU becomes the first bronze medalist of the tournament, making history for Chinese Taipei.
In the Men’s 57kg quarterfinals, 2023 Asian Games gold medallist Abdumalik KHALOKOV (UZB) dominated the eighth-seeded Jose QUILES BROTONS (ESP) with a 5:0 victory. The 24-year-old representing Uzbekistan, now assured of at least a bronze medal for his nation, will face Australia’s Charlie SENIOR in the semifinals on August 8 at Roland Garros. SENIOR emerged victorious in a hard-fought bout against Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Carlo PAALAM (PHI). Despite the Olympian from the Philippines taking a narrow lead in the first round, the Australian rallied in the following rounds, turning the match in his favor and ultimately securing a 3:2 split decision win.
In the Men’s 71kg division, 21-year-old Omari JONES (USA) wowed spectators with a dominant performance, securing a 5:0 unanimous decision over Rami Mofid KIWAN (BUL) in their quarterfinal match. The American will now face Asadkhuja MUYDINKHUJAEV (UZB) in the semifinals, after the Uzbek boxer also advanced with a 5:0 win over Nikolai TERTERYAN (DEN), showcasing his technical superiority in the ring.
In the Women’s 50kg quarterfinal, Yu WU (CHN), the 2023 Asian Games gold medallist, continued her impressive run with a flawless 5:0 victory over Chuthamat RAKSAT (THA). WU now moves on to the semifinals, where she will face Nazym KYZAIBAY (KAZ). The Kazakh boxer secured her place in the semifinals with a 4:1 victory over Ingrit Lorena VALENCIA VICTORIA (COL), a two-time Olympian who previously won bronze in Rio 2016 and finished fifth in Tokyo 2020.
The Women’s 66kg quarterfinals delivered one of the day’s biggest surprises as Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Busenaz SURMENELI (TUR) was upset by Janjaem SUWANNAPHENG (THA). In a fiercely contested bout, the Thai boxer, who won silver at the 2023 Asian Games, secured a 4:1 split decision victory. SUWANNAPHENG will now advance to face Imane KHELIF (ALG), who impressed with a dominant 5:0 victory over Anna Luca HAMORI (HUN) to secure her place in the semifinals.
Boxing will continue in the evening session with nine additional bouts to be contested in the Men’s 57kg, Men’s 71kg, Women’s 50kg, and Women’s 66kg weight categories.
Find the event schedule and the results here.
