The action at the 1st World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy, a qualifying event in the Boxing Road to Paris series with 49 quota places at stake, continues today. Hosted at the E-Work Arena from March 3 to 11, the tournament features over 600 athletes from 113 National Olympic Committees, including the Boxing Refugee Team and Individual Neutral Athletes, competing across 13 weight categories, encompassing 7 men’s and 6 women’s divisions.
Women’s 60kg
The first session of day 4 commenced with a dominant performance from the Kazakh RIMMA VOLOSSENKO, impressing all five judges across three rounds and securing a maximum points win of 5:0. Meanwhile, on ring B, Ayaka TAGUCHI of Japan and Loredana Andreea MARIN of Romania engaged in a closely contested battle. Exceptional combinations were executed by both boxers in the third round, with MARIN ultimately sealing a 4-1 split decision victory.
Shortly after, the home favorite Alessia MESIANO (ITA) entered the ring, cheered on by Team Italy, for her round-of-16 bout against Guadalupe SOLIS (MEX). MESIANO started strong, earning the favor of all judges in round 1. In the following round, SOLIS launched a fierce counterattack, displaying strong punches targeting MESIANO’s face and clinching the round. However, MESIANO rallied in the third round, landing powerful blows to secure a hard-fought 4:1 victory. With the same scoreline, on ring A, the judges awarded Miroslava JEDINAKOVA (SVK) the win after a closely contested match against Portugal’s Carolina FERREIRA.
Felicitas Maria GANGLBAUER (GER) emerged victorious in a challenging battle against Uzbek boxer Raykhona KODIROVA, securing a 3-2 split decision win. OH YEONJI of Korea also claimed victory in a split decision against Anna Julia JENNI of Switzerland, showcasing resilience and adaptability throughout the match.
The boxers Chelsey HEIJNEN (NED) and Donjeta SADIKU (KOS) went with an attacking strategy in their round-of-16 bouts, troubling Aslahan Sezgin MEHMEDOVA (BUL) and Christina LINARDATOU (GRE) respectively, who both were not able to block much.
Women’s 66 kg
Team France celebrated the victory of experienced boxer Emilie SONVICO (FRA), who clinched a narrow 3:2 split decision win against ANKUSHITA BORO (IND). SONVICO’s offensive tactics proved effective against the 2022 Asian Championships bronze medalist from India. Italy also enjoyed success as 25-year-old Angela CARINI secured a commanding 5:0 victory over Colombian Camila Gabriela CAMILO BRAVO on home turf. Krista KOVALAINEN (FIN) of Finland narrowly edged Cuba’s Yakelin ESTORNELL (CUB) 3-2 in an impressive round-of-64 match, showcasing resilience and excellent boxing skills.
Women’s 75kg
An exciting bout unfolded between Cindy NGAMBA (BRT) and Naomi GRAHAM (USA) at the E-Work Arena. NGAMBA, representing the Boxing Refugee Team, displayed aggression from the outset, earning a full scorecard from all five judges in round one. With relentless attacks in the subsequent rounds, NGAMBA secured a convincing 5:0 unanimous decision victory, solidifying her pursuit of boxing at the Olympic Games. Norway’s Sunniva HOFSTAD also made quick work of her round-of-32 match, clearing it in less than one round against Kimberly Lanora GITTENS (BAR).
Later in the morning, home boxer Melissa GEMINI faced defeat against Elzbieta WOJCIK of Poland. Despite her effort and a close first round, GEMINI was unable to overcome WOJCIK’s resilience, resulting in a 4:1 split decision win for the Tokyo 2020 Olympian from Poland.
Don’t miss today’s afternoon session at 15:30 and the evening session at 20:00.
Find all results, draw sheets, and schedules on boxing.athlete365.org.
