“I never dreamt I would ever have a year like this,” says France’s new Women’s Olympic Lightweight Champion Estelle Mossely
August 19th, 2016 / IBA
Estelle Mossely came through a superb Women’s Lightweight (60kg) Final against China’s Yin Junhua to win the gold medal on Day Fourteen of the Rio 2016 Olympic Boxing Tournament. The win caps a memorable year for Mossely, who had been crowned World Champion in Kazakhstan earlier in the year.
A hard-earned win over Italy’s Irma Testa in her first bout set the tone for a brilliant Olympic campaign from/for France’s newest boxing star, who was also celebrating her 24th birthday on Friday. After coming through a tense Semi-Final against Russia’s Anastasiia Beliakova, it was China’s Yin Junhua who stood between Mossely and a remarkable double.
It was Junhua who started much the brighter, too, winning the first two rounds as Mossely struggled to find her rhythm. Once she got into the groove in the third, however, Junhua began to tire, and a decisive final round from Mossely confirmed a brilliant comeback and an emotional victory.
“I’m World Champion and Olympic Champion, its incredible. I never dreamt that I would have a year like this, but I’ve got to thank everybody that has sacrificed so much for me, my trainers, everyone that came to watch me. To become Olympic Champion on my birthday is an amazing feeling,” said Mossely afterwards.
The silver medal went to Yin Junhua, with Russia’s Anastasiia Beliakova and Mira Potkonen winning the bronze, Finland’s first boxing medal since 1992.
