After a few months of a lot of noise for Olympic boxing, starting this Sunday the focus will be on the dream of 670 athletes who will participate in the first Olympic qualifier in the Italian city of Busto Arsizio. A total of 49 places will be at stake for Paris 2024, divided into 28 for men and 21 for women, with the majority being defined on March 10 and 11.
Although this is the first World Pre-Olympic Tournament (the second will be in Thailand from May 26 to June 2), it will not be the first opportunity for boxers to secure a place in the Games, since the first Olympic tickets were defined in continental instances such as the 2023 European Games and 2023 Pan American Games. For this reason, many world-class boxers have already won their place, including the double Olympic champions of Cuba Julio César La Cruz and Arlen López, the Irish gold medalist of Tokyo 2020, Kellie Harrington, and the French Olympic champion of Rio 2016, Estelle Mossely.
An important point regarding the limitations of each country to obtain places is that they can only present competitors in the weights in which athletes have not yet qualified.
While many boxers will aim for their first Olympic Games, they will be joined by numerous Olympic athletes and medalists from previous Games. Among them, Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio from the Philippines, silver medalists at Tokyo 2020. Petecio made history in Japan by becoming the first woman in her nation to win an Olympic medal in boxing.
Another medalist who will box in Italy is Aidan Walsh, from Ireland, who won bronze in the men’s 57kg in Tokyo 2020. If he gets a quota, he will join his sister Michaela Walsh in Paris 2024, after she secured a place at last year’s European Games.
One of those pursuing his first appearance at the Games is the American Roscoe Hill (51 kg men), who grew up training in George Foreman’s gym and was even baptized by the former Olympic and world heavyweight champion.
The U.S. team also includes Tokyo 2020 Olympic and 2019 Pan American Games champion Naomi Graham, whose story of resilience has inspired a generation of amateur boxers both at home and abroad.
Cuba has a long and rich history in Olympic boxing that includes 41 gold medals, however, this will be the first time that Cuban boxers will have the opportunity to compete in the Games. Legnis Calá (57 kg women) and Yakelín Estornell (66 kg women) will aim to make history for women’s sports in Italy by obtaining a quota for Paris 2024.
Great Britain nominated a 10-member team in the hope of joining the already qualified Charley Davison (54 kg women), Rosie Eccles (66 kg women) and Delicious Orie (92 kg men). The team includes Savannah Stubley (50kg women), Kiaran MacDonald (51kg men) and Owain Harris-Allan (57kg men) who won bantamweight bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The boxing tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will distribute its program between the Villepinte exhibition center and the emblematic Roland Garros venue. Hall eight of the first of these venues will host the competition from July 27 to August 4, reaching the semifinals in some categories. Two dates later, the actions will move to Philippe Chatrier’s center court, where the finalists will be completed and the medals will be contested until August 10.
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