Day 13 of the Olympic Boxing Tournament delivered four thrilling final matches across the Men’s 71kg, Women’s 50kg, Men’s 92kg, and Women’s 66kg weight categories.
Imane KHELIF of Algeria was crowned Olympic Champion in the Women’s 66kg division. The Algerian boxer delivered a flawless performance, outscoring Liu YANG (CHN) to secure a convincing 5:0 unanimous decision. Her victory not only demonstrated her dominance in the match but also in her weight category.
This historic win marked Algeria’s first Olympic medal in women’s boxing and made KHELIF her country’s second boxing gold medallist, following Hocine Soltani’s triumph in 1996.
“I’m very happy. For eight years, this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist.” KHELIF said after her victory. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion. I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.”
It was a triumph for Team Uzbekistan, as Asadkhuja MUYDINKHUJAEV secured gold in the Men’s 71kg division. The 23-year-old showcased exceptional boxing skills and sharp blows, dominating the first two rounds against Mexico’s Marco Alonso VERDE ALVAREZ. Although the Mexican boxer mounted a comeback in the third round, earning the favor of all five judges, it wasn’t enough to overturn MUYDINKHUJAEV’s lead. The Uzbek fighter claimed a brilliant 5:0 victory, solidifying his place as the new Olympic champion in his division.
After the match, MUYDINKHUJAEV expressed his joy, saying: “I just want to thank all the people back home who have supported me. I feel happy. I’m now the world champion and the Olympic champion. That was my goal when I came to Paris. I’ve achieved all my goals and I’m now the most famous young boxer in the world.”
When asked about Uzbekistan’s strength in boxing, he added: “We support each other. We respect each other. We are not just a team, we are a family. That is why we are so successful. We respect our coaches, they are like our fathers. Three of my teammates have still to compete in their finals. I wish them well and hope we take five gold medals back to Uzbekistan. But respect to all my opponents. They are great fighters.”
The night continued with a dominant performance by Lazizbek MULLOJONOV of Uzbekistan, who defeated Cuba-born Loren Berto ALFONSO DOMINGUEZ (AZE) in the Men’s 92kg final. The 25-year-old, who qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games via the 1st World Qualifying Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy, secured a commanding 5:0 unanimous decision. First time Olympian MULLOJONOV’s exceptional performance left no doubt as he claimed gold over the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist from Azerbaijan.
With two more finalists on Saturday, Uzbekistan could walk away with five gold medals, which would double their tally from all previous Games.
In the Women’s 50kg final, Yu WU of the People’s Republic of China secured Olympic gold, defeating Turkey’s Buse Naz CAKIROGLU. WU, the 2023 Asian Games gold medallist, dominated all three rounds, leaving no room for doubt with a 4:1 victory. This win marked China’s second consecutive boxing gold, following Yuan CHANG’s triumph in the Women’s 54kg division just a day earlier. CAKIROGLU, on the other hand, earned her second Olympic silver, adding to the one she won at Tokyo 2020, where she became the first female Turkish boxer to medal at the Olympics.
Reflecting on her victory, WU said: “This is my first time at an Olympic Games. So many people try to qualify and I’m so happy to win the gold medal. I have trained very hard and all that hard work paid off. I won the gold for my team, my coach, my country. In the third round I hit the back of my opponent and I apologise to her. It was an unfortunate accident (she was deducted a point).”
Looking ahead, the final day of the boxing tournament at Paris 2024 promises more excitement with the last gold-medal matches set to take place tomorrow, August 10, in the Women’s 57kg, Men’s 57kg, and Men’s +92kg weight divisions. The action kicks off at 21:30 CET.
Find the event schedule and the results here.
