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Tokyo medalists Carlo Paalam, Aidan Walsh qualify for 2024 Olympics at final qualifier
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Tokyo medalists Carlo Paalam, Aidan Walsh qualify for 2024 Olympics at final qualifier
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Dec 13, 2024
Dec 13, 2024
3 min read
Olympic medalists Carlo Paalam, Aidan Walsh and Loren Alfonso boarded the last train to a second consecutive Olympic spot, earning a spot in the Paris Games at the last chance qualifier on Sunday at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok, Thailand.
Olympic medalists Carlo Paalam, Aidan Walsh and Loren Alfonso boarded the last train to a second consecutive Olympic spot, earning a spot in the Paris Games at the last chance qualifier on Sunday at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok, Thailand.
Paalam, the 25-year-old Filipino who won flyweight silver three years ago in Tokyo, will join Aider Abduraimov of Ukraine and Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan as the last to qualify in the featherweight (57 kilograms) division. Paalam won his quota bout by 5-0 decision over India’s Sachin Siwach, while Abduraimov defeated Uulu by the same score, and Uulu defeated Siwach by another unanimous decision to earn the last spot.
They will join reigning IBA world champion Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan and 2021 world champion Jahmal Harvey of the United States, plus 2023 bantamweight world champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan in the talent rich division.
Paalam will be part of the Philippines’ five boxer delegation - their largest at the Summer Games since 1996 - and will be joined by the other two Filipino boxers who medaled at the 2020 Games, women’s featherweight Nesthy Petecio and middleweight (80 kilograms) Eumir Marcial, who qualified in previous tournaments. They will be joined by newcomers Hergie Bacyadan, a women’s middleweight (75 kilograms) from Quezon City who won her leg of the last chance qualifier, and women's flyweight (50 kilograms) Aira Villegas, who earned her spot at the first world qualifier in Italy.
The 27-year-old Walsh of Belfast highlighted Ireland’s strong showing at the last chance qualifier, gaining one of four spots that Ireland earned, bringing Ireland’s total number of boxers qualified to ten.
The 2020 welterweight bronze medalist, who is stepping up to 71 kilograms, or 156 pounds, after his previous division was eliminated for this tournament, defeated Boniface Maina of Kenya by 5-0 decision in the opening round, Youcef Islam Yaiche of Algeria 4-1, Yurii Zakharieiev of Ukraine by 3-2 decision and Zeyad Ishaish of Jordan by 4-1 decision to make it to the quota rounds, where he defeated Cuba’s Jorge Cuellar by 5-0 decision and Angel Llanos of Puerto Rico by 5-0 decision to earn his spot.
He was joined by India's Nishant Dev, Great Britain's Lewis Richardson, Jordan's Zeyad Ishaish and Damian Durkacz of Poland among those who qualified at 71-kilograms in Thailand.
Cuba-born Azerbaijani boxerLoren Alfonso earned a chance to improve upon the light heavyweight bronze he earned in Tokyo after qualifying in the men’s heavyweight (92 kilograms) division. The 29-year-old won 5-0 decisions in each round to qualify. He is joined by Victor Schelstraete of Belgium, Mateusz Bereznicki of Poland and Georgii Kushitashvili of Georgia among qualifiers. The Georgian boxer won a razor-thin 3-2 decision over American Jamar Talley to earn the spot, which means the United States hasn't qualified a heavyweight for the Summer Olympics since Devin Vargas in 2004.
Full list of qualifiers in Thailand
Men
51 kilograms: Rafael Lozano Serrano (Spain), Roscoe Hill (USA), Daniel Varela de Pina (Cape Verde), Amit Panghal (India)
57 kilograms: Carlo Paalam (Philippines), Aider Abduraimov (Ukraine), Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu (Kyrgyzstan)
63.5 kilograms: Radoslav Rosenov (Bulgaria), Oier Ibarreche (Spain), Erislandy Álvarez (Cuba), Malik Hasanov (Azerbaijan), Bazarbay Mukhammedsabyr (Kazakhstan)
71 kilograms: Nishant Dev (India), Lewis Richardson (Great Britain), Zeyad Ishaish (Jordan), Damian Durkacz (Poland), Aidan Walsh (Ireland)
80 kilograms: Cristian Pinales (Dominican Republic), Weerapon Jongjoho (Thailand), Hussein Ishaish (Jordan)
92 kilograms: Victor Schelstraete (Belgium), Mateusz Bereźnicki (Poland), Loren Alfonso (Azerbaijan), Georgii Kushitashvili (Georgia)
92-plus kilograms: Gerlon Congo (Ecuador), Davit Chaloyan (Armenia), Ayoub Ghadfa (Spain), Dmytro Lovchynskyi (Ukraine)
Women
50 kilograms: Nazym Kyzaibay (Kazakhstan), Daina Moorehouse (Ireland), Pihla Kaivo-oja (Finland), Fátima Herrera (Mexico)
54 kilograms: Möngöntsetsegiin Enkhjargal (Mongolia), Huang Hsiao-wen (Chinese Taipei), Jennifer Lehane (Ireland), Im Ae-ji (South Korea)
57 kilograms: Alyssa Mendoza (USA), Xu Zichun (China), Jaismine Lamboria (India), Esra Yıldız (Turkey)
60 kilograms: Agnes Alexiusson (Sweden), Oh Yeon-ji (South Korea), Hà Thị Linh (Vietnam)
66 kilograms: Navbakhor Khamidova (Uzbekistan), Jessica Triebeľová (Slovakia), Brigitte Mbabi (Congo), Grainne Walsh (Ireland)
75 kilograms: Baison Manikon (Thailand), Hergie Bacyadan (Philippines), Valentina Khalzova (Kazakhstan), Citlalli Ortiz (Mexico)
Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at.
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