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Canada’s Wyatt Sanford fell short of his ultimate goal, but still captured an elusive Olympic boxing medal for Canada at the Paris Games.
The boxer from Kennetcook, N.S., was awarded a bronze medal Sunday after losing his semifinal bout in the 63.5-kilogram category to France’s Sofiane Oumiha.
Four of the five judges scored the fight 29-28 in Oumiha’s favour, while the other had Sanford winning by the same score.
Sanford made it a close match by winning the third round on four of the five judges’ scorecards, but the Canadian ran out of time to build on that momentum.
“I feel great. I didn’t get the result I wanted, but he is one hell of a fighter. A great boxer,” Sanford said after the fight.
“I can’t feel too sad about it. I’ve no regrets. I’m super happy with the performance, I just didn’t get the outcome. That’s just the way it goes.”
There are two bronze medals in boxing, meaning those who made it to the semifinals are guaranteed a spot on the podium. That meant Sanford had already sewn up Canada’s first Olympic boxing medal since David Defiagbon’s heavyweight silver in Atlanta in 1996.
Sanford defeated Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev in the quarterfinals after opening with a win over Bulgaria’s Radoslav Rosenov.
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He said Oumiha’s speed surprised him.
“It took me a bit too long to get used to his speed as he is super fast. I knew I was down after the first round, but then I usually am.”
Oumiha will fight for gold in Wednesday’s 63.5 final.
“It was a good fight, I started really well,” he said. “I had a little drop in the second round. I got things in order in the third and got that win.
“The story is beautiful. If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. You have to believe in your dreams. Don’t put any limits, in sport or in life.”
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Sanford, who entered the Games as the top-ranked fighter in his weight category and reigning Pan American Games champion, said after winning his quarterfinal fight that he wanted to bring a gold medal back to Kennetcook. He’ll be bringing back bronze instead, and he is fine with that.
“It was great to have some support in the stadium from Canadians. It was great to have the support from back home in Kennetcook,” he said.
“I can’t wait to get back there to celebrate the bronze medal with my family and friends who have been there for me since day one. It’s fantastic to be able to give them something back for all that support over the years.”
Along with celebrating, Sanford plans to use some time off to heal.
The boxer revealed after his bronze-medal match that he has been dealing with a serious hand injury since last fall.
“I ruptured the tendons in my thumb before Pan Am Games. I competed (at the Games) with the ruptured tendons, I was able to win it but afterwards, I wasn’t really able to use my hand at all and up until April I wasn’t even hitting a heavy bag,” he said.
Sanford said a specialist suggested surgery last month, but it would have to wait.
“(It was) painful… but definitely well worth it,” he said.
© 2024 The Canadian Press