BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 13. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were the most challenging in history, Pedro Roque, head coach of Azerbaijan's men's boxing team, told Idman.biz, Trend reports.
Roque, an experienced Cuban coach, assessed the national team's performance at the Games. He noted that boxers who competed in the World Championships across 13 weight categories participated in only seven weight classes at the Olympics.
"As a result, some athletes had to adjust their weight. For example, our Olympic medalist Alfonso Domínguez, who previously competed in the 86 kg weight class, moved to the 92 kg class before the Olympics. He managed to secure his license and participate. In the finals, Alfonso faced a strong Uzbek boxer who had also cut weight. Alfonso entered the ring at 88 kg, and weight plays a crucial role in such fights," he explained.
The head coach highlighted that, under his guidance, an Azerbaijani boxer reached the Olympic finals for the second time.
"Alfonso won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. I hope he will secure gold in Los Angeles," Roque added.
To note, at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (Rio 2016), Lorenzo Sotomayor Collazo, a Cuban-born Azerbaijani light-welterweight boxer, reached the finals and won a silver medal. Eight years later, Alfonso Domínguez achieved similar success at the Paris Olympics.
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