The Taipei City Cup is a respected international competition in the East Asian region, and the fourth edition of the tournament was dominated by Thailand.

Russia competed in the competition for the very first time, while Australia also sent a squad to the event after their successful Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Athlete of the tournament
Thailand’s ASBC Asian Continental Championships bronze medallist Tanes Ongjunta is famous for his excellent footwork, and the 22-year-old was at his dazzling best in the Taipei City Cup.

Perhaps Thailand’s most promising boxer, he competed in the 2010 AIBA Youth World Championships in Baku, and joined the elite national squad last year following his gold medal at their National Championships.

His final opponent of the event was Indonesia’s talented Kornelis Kwangu Langu, who is a developing talent in his country.

Both athletes provided great performances in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Continental Championships in Amman one year ago, and while the Indonesian boxer was a competitive rival for Ongjunta, it was the Thai athlete who improved as the fight progressed, which resulted in a gold medal for the young star.

Kwangu Langu will be looking to gain revenge on his opponent in the upcoming Asian Games which takes place in Incheon in the second part of September.

Team of the tournament
Thailand achieved five gold medals in the Taipei City Cup, topping the team rankings of the competition and repeating their achievement in the last edition of the Cup.

Southeast Asian Games winner and AIBA Women’s World Championships quarter-finalist Sopida Satumrum claimed a gold medal at the Women’s Flyweight class (51 kg), while AIBA Women’s World Championships bronze medallist Tassamelee Thongjan also won all of her bouts in Taipei.

ASBC Asian Continental Championships bronze medallist Tanes Ongjunta was excellent in the men’s part of the competition, and ASBC Asian Continental Championships silver medallist Saylom Ardee also accomplished the gold medal.

Southeast Asian Games winner Apichet Saensit won the last gold medal of the Taipei City Cup, which was a great confidence boost for him prior to the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.

Surprise of the tournament
Chinese Taipei’s Wu You Wei competed in the ASBC Asian Continental Championships in Amman last year, where he was defeated by a top Mongolian boxer in the capital city of Jordan.

Wu had to meet another Mongolian athlete, 19-year-old Amarsanaa Badar-Uugan in the final of the Light Welterweight class (64 kg) in his home country, and this time he was able to beat a Mongolian to claim gold.

Ones to watch in the future
Russia’s AIBA Women’s Youth World Champion Iaroslava Iakushina has won the gold medal in the last three editions of their National Championships, and claimed a further tournament victory in Taipei.

Iakushina dominated her final bout against Mongolia’s experienced Erdenesoyol Uranga, and her victory proves her reputation as one of the favourites for gold ahead of the 7th AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships which is scheduled to take place in Jeju, Korea in November.

South Korea’s AIBA Junior World Championships bronze medallist Han Sang Myeong is only 19, but already he is their top athlete at the Bantamweight class (56 kg), and has medal expectations for the Asian Games.

The Korean boxer advanced to the final of the Taipei City Cup following his triumph over Lin Sheng Lin, and he continued his winning path against another host nation athlete, Chiang Chih Hau.

Stat/fact of the tournament
Thailand dominated the competition once again, and their tough athletes proved they are ready to challenge for medals in upcoming AIBA, Asian and Olympic events.

Their experienced boxers are at a different level to their rivals in the Southeast Asian region, and the Taipei City Cup was a good competition for them to raise the international experience of the team.

Macau nearly took home first ever gold medal in an international boxing tournament in Taipei following the success of Tam Si Long in the women’s Light flyweight class (48 kg).

Gold medal winners in the Taipei City Cup
Women’s 48 kg: Chian Chian Hui, Chinese Taipei
Women’s 51 kg: Sopida Satumrum, Thailand
Women’s 60 kg: Tassamalee Thongjan, Thailand
Women’s 75 kg: Iaroslava Iakushina, Russia
Men’s 49 kg: Tanes Ongjunta, Thailand
Men’s 52 kg: Mikita Nakano, Japan
Men’s 56 kg: Han Sang Myeong, South Korea
Men’s 60 kg: Saylom Ardee, Thailand
Men’s 64 kg: Wu You Wei, Chinese Taipei
Men’s 69 kg: Apichet Saensit, Thailand

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