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08/19/2008 Archived Entry: "China Clinched Its First Olympic Boxing Medal"
China Clinched Its First Olympic Boxing Medal
Aug 18, 2008
By Zhenyu Li at ringside in Beijing, China
China clinched its first Olympic boxing medal when Chinese welterweight Silamu Hanati slashed his Bahamas' opponent 14-4 to clinch a bronze medal Sunday night at Beijing Workers' Gymnasium.
The 23-year-old Chinese brawler became the first boxer for the host nation to guarantee a bronze in the Beijing Olympic boxing tournament, and the second in China's 22-year-old Olympic boxing history to make it into the semifinal of the grand sports pageant, since China's boxing kingpin Shiming Zou achieved the same feat four year ago in Athens.
It was an action-packed battle. The two fighters traded punches from the opening round, but it was the more solid Chinese boxer who prevailed fairly. By the fourth round, it seemed that the Bahamian had run out of oil and could barely keep his poise. He was counted by the referee two times with less than one minute to go before losing the fight 4-14 to the Chinese welterweight.
Hanati cruised to the semifinal winning every round with 2-1, 3-2, 2-0 and 7-1.
Through 1948, the boxers who lost in the semifinal had to compete for the bronze medal, but the rules has changed since 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games in which the bronze medals have been awarded to both semi-final losers, indicating that Hanati has secured a bronze for China, to say the least.
But it would be more than that.
Hanati is desperately hungry for a gold following an early exit four years ago in Athens.
"Now, I am very confident that I could win a gold medal," Hanati said jubilantly after the fight. "I'll try my level best striving for the gold!"
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Zhenyu Li is a Beijing-based 2008 Olympic journalist. He can be reached at zhenyuli_cn@sina.com .
