There were tears of joy and sadness on Wednesday as the semi-finals meant it was mission achieved for some boxers, and the end of the road for others.
Algeria had a remarkable day as seven boxers secured their places in Tokyo, while Morocco qualified four, with the hopes of two more still alive in the box-offs.
Algeria has a strong Olympic history and was the last African nation to win Olympic gold, at Atlanta 1996 through Hocine Soltani. That is a legacy that still burns today, according to Chouaib Bouloudinats, who will be heading to his third Olympics.
“We have a long history of boxing but our performance here is proof that Algeria is the home of boxing in Africa like Russia, Cuba, Kazakhstan [in Europe, America and Asia],” the super-heavyweight explained.
–olympicchannel
