World Olympic Qualification Event – Day9 Final Report

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Three Asian silver medals in Baku while Qatar achieved its first ever Olympic quota in boxing

Ten Asian boxers qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the World Olympic Qualification Event in Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday and after that amazing success three of our hopes won silver medals in the competition: Mongolia’s Erdenebat Tsendbaatar, Tajikistan’s Anvar Yunusov and Turkmenistan’s Arslanbek Achilov. Qatar’s Hakan Erseker also qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic as lucky loser of the quarter-final.

Bantamweight class (56 kg):

Mongolia’s Erdenebat Tsendbaatar arrived to the venue of the World Olympic Qualification Event as one of the main favourite of this difficult category. The three-time Mongolian National Champion won the Chemistry Cup in Germany this year and eliminated Mexico’s WSB boxer Ivan Jesus Delgado, Turkey’s Ibrahim Gokcek, Guatemala’s Juan Reyes and Japan’s new national team member Arashi Morisaka in the road to the finals. Tsendbaatar had to meet for the gold medal with Ukraine’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Mykola Butsenko in Baku. The Mongolian boxer was not enough shape in the opening round what was his problem in the semi-finals as well therefore the experienced Ukrainian was able to win the gold medal in Baku.

Lightweight class (60 kg):

Tajikistan’s former ASBC Asian Champion and two-time Olympian Anvar Yunusov eliminated Italy’s former AIBA World Champion Domenico Valentino, Turkey’s 20-year-old Volkan Gokcek and China’s Shan Jun in the previous rounds in Baku. Anvar Yunusov advanced to the final of the category where he met with Netherlands’ EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist Enrico La Cruz. The former AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Tajik boxer had amazing defense in the whole contest but his attacks were successful only in the first round. Finally the Dutch boxer won the gold medal in Baku but his victory meant Qatar’s Hakan Erseker also qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games which is a historical step for the Arabic country developing boxing in the country.

Middleweight class (75 kg):

Turkmenistan’s experienced Arslanbek Achilov eliminated Chinese Taipei’s 18-year-old Kan Chia Wei, Switzerland’s AIBA European Olympic Qualification Event bronze medallist Davide Faraci, Italy’s Salvatore Cavallaro and walked over to the final against India’s former Asian Games winner and London 2012 Olympian Vikas Krishan Yadav who could not box against him in the semi-final. Turkmenistan’s lone Rio 2016 Olympian did not attend in the day of the finals against Ireland’s Baku 2015 European Games winner Michael O’Reilly and claimed silver medal in Baku.