Boxer earns Vietnam's fifth Olympic Paris qualification

Anh's opponent in the final match of the first Olympic qualifying round on Monday night in Busto Arsizio, Italy was Islem Ferchichi, a boxer with a shorter height and reach.

A screenshot Vo Thi Kim Anh (in blue) fights Islem Ferchichi at the final match of Olympics boxing qualification on March 11, 2024

In the first round, Ferchichi attacked aggressively but Anh defended well and countered effectively. The Vietnamese boxer took two straight punches from her opponent but responded with several accurate left hooks. She was awarded 10 points by all five judges, while the Tunisian boxer received four 9 and one 8.

In the second round, Ferchichi put even more power in her attacks. However, Anh remained calm in defense thanks to her good movement. She countered well and continued to come out on top, receiving all 10 from the judges while Ferchichi received five 9.

With a significant lead, Anh entered the third round with a smile on her face. She defended and moved constantly to avoid the punches, while her opponent tried to increase the pace hoping for a knockout win. However, Anh completely dominated the bout, continuing to receive all 10 from the judges to win the match 5-0 with scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26.

In the first round of the Olympic women's 54 kg event, 40 boxers competed, divided into four brackets, each with 10 athletes. Anh, in bracket number four, advanced directly to the second round, where she won 4-1 against Dominican boxer Estefani Almanzar. The Vietnamese boxer then won 5-0 against Hungary's Hanna Lakotar to enter the final match against Ferchichi.

Anh, 26, has won a gold medal at the 2022 Thailand Open and was selected as a key boxer for Vietnam to compete for the 2024 Olympic Paris qualification.

Boxer Vo Thi Kim Anh (C) and her coaches after earning fifth Olympics qualification for Vietnam on March 11, 2024. Photo by Facebook/Vo Thi Kim Anh

Before Anh, Vietnam had secured four qualification spots for the 2024 Olympic Paris - Nguyen Thi That in women's road cycling, Trinh Thu Vinh in women's 10m air pistol, Le Thi Mong Tuyen in women's 10m air rifle and Nguyen Huy Hoang in men's 800m freestyle. Hoang also met the second standard time for the men's 1500m freestyle, making him a reserve for the Olympics.

Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh is almost certain to compete in the women's singles event with her current place in the world’s top 20.

Vietnam previously had four boxers compete in the Olympics. They were Nguyen Van Duong in the men's 57kg and Nguyen Thi Tam in the women's 51kg at Tokyo 2020, Dang Hieu Hien in the men's 48kg and Do Tien Tuan in the men's 67kg in Seoul 1988.

The first round of the 2024 Olympics boxing qualifiers took place from March 3 to 11 in Italy, featuring 633 athletes, including 233 female and 400 male athletes from 113 countries. 21 Olympic spots were awarded for six women's weight classes and 28 spots for seven men's weight classes.

This event is one of seven in the 2024 Olympics qualification system organized by the International Boxing Association (IBA), alongside the 2023 European Championships, 2023 African Championships, 2023 Asian Games, 2023 Pan American Games and 2023 Pacific Games.

Vietnamese boxers still have a chance to qualify for the Olympics at the second qualifying event to be held in Thailand from May 23 to June 3. Athletes who have already qualified for the Olympics will not compete in the second qualifying round.