Cape Verde’s sensation David Pina and Morocco’s world champion Khadija Mardi carry Africa’s aspirations in today’s 18-bout card featuring 10 semis and eight quarters.
Pina, after scoring an upset win over fancied Zambia’s Africa flyweight king Patrick Chinyemba, meets Uzbekistan’s world champion Hasanboy Dustamatov in flyweight semi-finals while Khadija battles world silver medallist from Australia Catlin Parker.
The 28-year-old Pina has been in scintillating form this year, and made his intentions known at the first world qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy, where he shocked Spain’s world bronze medallist Martin Molina with a 3-2 victory.
He failed to make it in Italy but carried his sparkling form to Bangkok, Thailand, in the second world qualifiers. A confident Pina, boosted by thorough preparations, displayed a textbook show to deservedly book his Paris Olympics ticket in style.
He’s not shaken by the credentials of the big names in the flyweight class in Paris.
“I believe we’re all in the same level, some of them are even afraid of fighting me,” said Pina in a telephone interview from Paris.
Pina’s victory over Spain’s Molina is one of his highlights this year and says March 3, 2024, will forever remain etched in his record books.
“I’m so happy I won my first fight against a big name opponent whom many people thought would win easily,” says Pina.
“He won the first round 3-2, my coach (Bruno Carvalho) then encouraged me in between the rounds, he told me I must win the fight because it’s very important to our plans with him this year. I then took charge and won the second round, the third was even but I was more aggressive.”
A father of two children, Hellen who’s seven years old and three-year-old Miller, Pina made his presence felt in Cape Verde’s boxing circles in 2013 when he won the national light-flyweight title.
“By then I was just 17 years old but I proved myself,” recalls Pina who celebrates his 28th birthday next Wednesday, August 7, in Paris, probably after seeing off Dusmatov tonight.
“A year later in 2014, I joined the national team and made my debut in an international tournament in Portugal followed by the regional one in Angola, I’ve won the Cape Verde national title six times.”
Pina, who showed his innate potential by winning a bronze medal in the 2022 Africa Elite Championships in Maputo, currently stays in Portugal with his two children and lovely wife Cindy who’s a source of inspiration in his boxing career. He’s been in Portugal since he participated in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“It’s more convenient for me in Portugal since I’m nearer my coach (Bruno Carvalho). I’ve been with him from 2021. I must say Bruno is the current architect of my success, he’s done a lot for me. He’s one of the best coaches in the world.”
Africa is already assured of two medals in the Paris Olympics following the semi-final qualification of Pina and Algeria’s Imane Khelif who becomes Africa’s first female boxer to win a medal in the Olympics since women started taking part in the Olympic Games in 2012 in London.
Khelif’s medal is also the first one in 24 years for the North African country. Take note Algeria’s last medal in the Olympics was at the 2000 Sydney Games and not the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as we reported yesterday.
Light-welterweight Mohammed Allalou won bronze for Algeria in the Sydney Games together with Morocco’s Tahar Tamsamani.
Algeria has now won a total of seven medals in the Olympics. Khelif is on course for Algeria’s second gold medal in the Olympic Games.
This is also the first time Africa has won more than one medal in the Olympic Games since Athens 2004 when Egypt scooped one silver and two bronze medals. In the 2008, 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, Africa won only one medal and came out empty-handed at the London 2012 Olympics.
The highest number of medals for Africa was at the 1972 Munich Olympics when boxers from Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Niger won a total of seven medals.
Credit: AFBC Communications
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