Boxing: Five Frenchmen attend the Olympic qualifying tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy

The clock is ticking. Five months before the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the list of athletes selected for the event is revealed. Seven French boxers are already guaranteed to participate. For five others, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (TQO) in Busto Arsizio, near Milan, offers the opportunity to buy one of the six remaining tickets.

From March 3 to 11, Jojerlain Cesar (-80 kg), Soheb Bouafia (-92 kg) and Jamili Abudu (+92 kg) will defend their chances among men. They have been preparing since the Christmas holidays, taking courses in Colombia, Spain and Italy. “We mainly focused on the technical and tactical aspect, depending on the needs of each individual,” explained Malik Bouzian, national coach, on the federation’s website. The same applies to the physiological aspect, where, depending on the case, we give preference to the energy or muscle sector. »

19-year-old Jojerlin Cesar still lacks physical strength, but he shows promise. In particular, last November he won the European Under-22 Championship title. 25-year-old Soheb Bonafia arrived in excellent shape. Jamili Abudu, 28, has made progress in the middle distance in recent months.

Among the girls, Romane Moulay (24 years old, -54 kg) and Emily Sonvico (34 years old, -66 kg) will try to win a place at the Games. “Both have the potential to win a ticket,” their coach Stefan Cottalorda rejoiced on the Federation’s website. When we played test matches against strong countries, they played better than they competed. »

Samuel Quistohurri misses his chance

Roman Moulay will be the first of the French delegation to fight, starting on Monday against Ireland’s Jennifer Lehane. In this TQO, the first round will be the 32nd final, with the exception of Jamili Abudu in the +92kg weight class, who starts 16th. To secure a place at the Games, you must reach the semi-finals.

The only problem for the French team is the absence of Samuel Quistohurri (29 years old, -57 kg), injured during the tournament in Spain. They didn’t have time to replace it. If he wishes to qualify, he will have to wait for the final TQO, which will take place from May 23 to June 2 in Bangkok, Thailand. But a choice will have to be made between him and Maulana Ali and Lunes Hamraoui, who are also fighting in the 57 kg weight category.

At the moment, seven French boxers have already secured their place at the Olympic Games: Wassila Lhadiri (-50 kg), Amina Zidani (-57 kg), Estelle Mosseli (-60 kg), Davina Michel (-75 kg), Billal Bennama. (-51 kg), Sofiane Umiha (-63.5 kg) and Makan Traore (-71 kg).