Quebec boxer Tammara Thibeault secured her ticket to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 after qualifying for the final of the tournament at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
The 26-year-old athlete from Shawinigan defeated Mexican Vanessa Ortiz by unanimous decision of the judges in the semi-final on Thursday. She will therefore fight for the gold medal in the under 75 kg category.
The first two boxers in each weight category – therefore the finalists – obtained their ticket to the Games.
“It’s a real ticket, so I’m very excited,” admitted Thibeault, about the white and gold souvenir ticket she received for the Paris Games. I’m ready to go home and get it framed. This is just the first step. I still have a lot of work to do before Paris. »
Thibeault will face Panamanian Atheyna Bylon for the Pan American Games middleweight title on Friday, in a rematch of the 2022 World Championship final.
Thibeault won the world title in 2022 and reached the quarter-finals of the women’s boxing tournament at the Tokyo Games in 2021. She will also try to expand her collection of titles, which also includes a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games .
“I still have to fight tomorrow [vendredi]. I’m going to savor the moment a little longer. I have to recover, rest, then be ready to return to the arena tomorrow,” Thibeault said.
“I have evolved a lot”
She won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in 2019, and this turned into silver a year later after a rival was pinned for sports doping. Thibeault feels like he has come a long way since Lima.
“I have evolved a lot as an athlete, as a boxer,” she confided. Technically, strategically, and also physically. »
She is one of five Canadian boxers in the semi-finals at the Pan American Games who are trying to get their ticket to the Paris Games in 2024.
A sixth, Bryan Colwell of Victoria, BC, did not put on the gloves. The 33-year-old veteran lost his semi-final in the under 92 kg category after throwing in the towel.
Referees did not allow him to enter the ring due to a deep laceration above his right eye that he suffered during his quarterfinal bout.
“I put 15 years of my life into this. I’ve been dreaming about it for a long time, Colwell said. It’s not what I was hoping for, but I still have two opportunities left to qualify [pour les Jeux de Paris]. I am in a good position within the program. »
Colwell and Montreal’s Junior Petanqui won bronze after losing in their respective semi-finals at the Pan American Games because the small finals were not played.
“I’m disappointed, but I know I’ll come back stronger,” Petanqui said.
McKenzie Wright of Oakville, Ont., Charlie Cavanaugh of Saint John, N.B., and Wyatt Sanford of Kennetcook, N.S., are scheduled to battle in the semifinals later Thursday.
Volleyball, shooting and racquetball
In women’s beach volleyball, the Canadian tandem of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson qualified for the gold medal match.
The two Canadians, who were the flag bearers during the opening ceremony of the Pan American Games, swept Argentina’s Ana Maria Gallay and Gabriela Fernanda Pereyra 21-15, 21-15.
In shooting, Toronto’s Tugrul Ozer won gold in the 10m air pistol, with a record score of 240.5 points at the Pan American Games. This result allowed Canada to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.
In men’s team racquetball, Samuel Murray of Baie-Comeau and Coby Iwaasa of Lethbridge, Alta., earned silver after losing to Bolivia two sets to zero.