It was a great boxing tournament

Ten days of struggle, fans could watch entire European top and as many as 306 fights. At stake 44 passes to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. The boxing tournament during the European Games stood at a very high level.

Nowy Targ hosted the best boxers in Europe. All national teams came in the strongest squads, because the stakes of these competitions were double. Players and athletes competed not only for medals of the 3rd European Games, but also for qualification for the Paris Olympic Games. There are only three such tournaments, and the European Games was the first of them. So if someone didn’t manage to get to the Games, next year they will have two last chances. But then it will already be a competition of fists from all over the world.

We were curious about the performance of the national team of Great Britain, which after each Games rejuvenates its lineup and presents new athletes. These presented a good performance, but not everyone managed to enter the medal zone. The athletes were not seeded, so in some categories these strongest fighters ended up against each other already in elimination fights at the beginning of the tournament. This was the case, for example, in the welterweight division. Kelyn Cassidy (IRL) and Taylor Bevan (GBR) showed from a good side, but in their way stood the excellent Oleksandr Chyzhniak (UKR), European champion, world champion and Olympic silver medalist. Thus, neither the Briton nor the Irishman entered the medal zone, although they showed very good boxing.

On the other hand, Sofiane Oumiha (FRA), a three-time world champion, does not yet have an Olympic gold medal in his collection. And next year the Olympic Games will be held in his beloved Paris. – A gold medal, at home, in Paris, would be a dream come true for me – he said, after the Frenchman won each of his five bouts in New Market in great style.

The biggest favorites did not disappoint, although there were a few surprises. In the 92kg weight class, Enmanuel Reyes (ESP) and Loren Alfonso (AZE), considered the favorites, left for the Games without a pass. Although Reyes won the bronze medal, the heavyweight had to advance to the finals to get to the Olympic Games. Alfonso unexpectedly dropped out in the very first bout.

The highlight of the tournament was the skirmish in the semifinals of the women’s 60 kilograms competition. Facing each other were two Olympic champions. Kellie Harrington (IRL) defeated Estelle Mosselly (FRA), but the two ladies may meet again next year in Paris.

In the women’s competition in six categories, four medals went to representatives of Turkey and France, and two gold medals went to the Irish and the Turkish women. Below we present to you all the medalists. The Q symbol next to the name denotes the athletes who also secured Olympic qualification.

Women 50 kg:

Buse Naz Cakiroglu (TUR) – Q
Wassila Lkhadiri (FRA) – Q
Giordana Sorrentino (ITA) – Q
Laura Fuertes (ESP) – Q

Women 54 kg:

Stanimira Petrova (BUL) – Q
Lenuta Lacramioara Perijoc (ROU) – Q
Charley-Sian Taylor Davison (GBR) – Q
Hatice Akbas (TUR) – Q

Women 57 kg:

Amina Zidani (FRA) – Q
Svetlana Staneva (BUL) – Q
Irma Testa (ITA) – Q
Michaela Walsh (IRL) – Q

Women 60 kg:

Kellie Harrington (IRL) – Q
Natalia Shadrina (SRB) – Q
Estelle Mosselly (FRA) – Q
Gizem Ozer (TUR) – Q

Women 66 kg:

Busenaz Surmeneli (TUR) – Q
Oshin Derieuw (BEL) – Q
Anna Luca Hamori (HUN) – Q
Rosie Joy Eccles (GBR) – Q

Women 75 kg:

Aoife O’Rourke (IRL) – Q
Davina-Myrha Michel (FRA) – Q
Irina Schoenberger (GER)
Elżbieta Wojcik (POL)

In the men, medals were awarded in seven categories. Three medals won by the French and Italians and it was the French fists who took home two gold medals.

Men 51 kg: