Doors open to fight in World Cup
Two Namibian boxers qualify for 2017 World Boxing Championships in Germany.
Amateur boxers Jonas Junias and Mathias Hamunyela won gold medals at the
2017 African Boxing Championships which was held in Congo-Brazzaville from 17 to 25 June.
The boxers now qualified for the 2017 World Championships which will be held in Germany from 25 August to 3 September.
The boxers, who left the country unprepared due to the fact that they did not have amble time to train, surprised boxing fans when they breezed through the stages to reach the finals and eventually win gold medals.
Their boxing compatriot Mateus Kasolo, who took part in the 60kg, did not progress to any medal contention spots.
Junias was competing in the 64kg category and Hamunyela in the 49kg. The gold medallist competed at the 2016 Olympic Games but did not do well; however, they both won silver medals at the 2015 All Africa Games.
Benjamin Rebang, the president of the Namibian Boxing Federation said that they are proud of the boxers and their achievements. He said that this could be the first time two boxers from SADC bring two gold medals home. “We had critics before they travelled but I believed in the team. These results did not just fall from the sky,” he said.
Rebang also said the boxing federation is committed to making sure that opportunities are provided to local boxers to excel.
“Boxing is an individual sport and these boxers showed that despite the limited time they had, they put in extra effort to do well in the tournament. We are also applauding the coaches who train these boxers. Their impact is noted and that is also the reason we send boxers to tournaments with them because they groomed them and thus know them better,” Rebang explained.
He further added that Jonas is very involved in his career and would always call from Brazil to enquire about developments in his boxing career.
Limba Mupetami
2017 African Boxing Championships which was held in Congo-Brazzaville from 17 to 25 June.
The boxers now qualified for the 2017 World Championships which will be held in Germany from 25 August to 3 September.
The boxers, who left the country unprepared due to the fact that they did not have amble time to train, surprised boxing fans when they breezed through the stages to reach the finals and eventually win gold medals.
Their boxing compatriot Mateus Kasolo, who took part in the 60kg, did not progress to any medal contention spots.
Junias was competing in the 64kg category and Hamunyela in the 49kg. The gold medallist competed at the 2016 Olympic Games but did not do well; however, they both won silver medals at the 2015 All Africa Games.
Benjamin Rebang, the president of the Namibian Boxing Federation said that they are proud of the boxers and their achievements. He said that this could be the first time two boxers from SADC bring two gold medals home. “We had critics before they travelled but I believed in the team. These results did not just fall from the sky,” he said.
Rebang also said the boxing federation is committed to making sure that opportunities are provided to local boxers to excel.
“Boxing is an individual sport and these boxers showed that despite the limited time they had, they put in extra effort to do well in the tournament. We are also applauding the coaches who train these boxers. Their impact is noted and that is also the reason we send boxers to tournaments with them because they groomed them and thus know them better,” Rebang explained.
He further added that Jonas is very involved in his career and would always call from Brazil to enquire about developments in his boxing career.
Limba Mupetami
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