Ren Cancan leads China to a day of dominance as the AIBA Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event reaches its conclusion
April 2nd, 2016 / IBA
China’s women boxers hogged the headlines on the eighth and final day of action at the AIBA Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event in Qian’an, China. Led by Ren Cancan, one of the most recognisable names in boxing, China won all three women’s gold medals on offer.
Cancan, the London 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist and three-time AIBA Women’s World Champion, added another gold to her collection in supreme style, controlling her flyweight bout with Uzbekistan’s Yodgoroy Mirzaeva from the off. The 19-year-old Uzbek, who has been one of the surprise performers of the week, can at least make do with the consolation of a qualification spot for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The women’s middleweight final was a familiar affair. China’s Qian Li lost to Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova in the final of the 2015 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Wulanchabu but got her revenge in great style in the re-match here in Qian’an.
China’s third gold medal of the day came in the relatively unsatisfactory form of a walkover for Junhua Yin, whose opponent, Australia’s 2014 Commonwealth Games winner Shelley Watts, was unable to take part in the lightweight final.
In the men’s category Kazakhstan had another good day, winning two more gold medals to place third on the overall medals table, behind China and Uzbekistan respectively.
Ivan Dychko’s super heavyweight final against the young Uzbek Bakhodir Jalolov was one of the bouts of the day. Dychko, Kazakhstan’s two-time AIBA Word Boxing Championships silver medallist eventually prevailed, defeating Jalolov for the fourth time in his career.
Hussein Iashaish secured Jordan’s first qualification spot for the Rio 2016 Games, beating Iran’s Abdolmajid Sepahvandi in the box-off.
Dychko’s compatriot Ablaikhan Zhussupov continued his impressive unbeaten start to 2016, winning his fifth contest in a row to take the light welterweight crown – Kazakhstan’s third gold of the competition. The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist proved far too strong for Mongolia’s World Military Games winner Chinzorig Baatarsukh.
There was disappointment for Kyrgyzstan in the box-off with favourite Ermek Sakenov failing to add to its Olympic qualification tally, falling to defeat against China’s Qianxun Hu.
Uzbekistan finished the event, in which they have been the standout nation, in a fitting manner as heavyweight Rustam Tulaganov won their fifth gold medal, albeit thanks to a walkover against China’s Fengkai Yu.
Australia’s Jason Whateley pulled off a shock in the box-off, defeating two-time Olympian and former Asian Games winner, Jakhon Qurbonov from Tajikistan.
In the men’s lightweight final, Mongolia’s defending ASBC Asian Confederation Champion Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu repeated his win against the Philippines’ Charly Suarez in the final of the Incheon 2014 Asian Games. While in the division’s box-off Daisuke Narimatsu won Japan’s only Rio 2016 qualification spot of the event, defeating Jun Shan of China.
After eight days of competition, a total of six women and 30 men have won spots for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
