France’s Oria Mahmoud won the historical gold at the first European Women’s Boxing Championships in 2001

The first historical edition of the European Women’s Boxing Championships was held in St. Amand-les-Eaux, France in 2001 which began the strong developments of female boxing. The first historical gold medal was achieved by France’s Oria Mahmoud but the medal table won by the Russians.

More and more women interested to attend in the boxing trainings in various countries in the ‘80s and in the beginning of the ‘90s therefore the International Boxing Association had an answer to this improvement. AIBA approved the female part of boxing during their meeting in Tunis which took place on November 19 in 1993.

AIBA has officially announced that boxing will be separated into male and female events during its 13th congress in Beijing, China which was held on November 21-25 in 1994. Following that the European Amateur Boxing Association (EABA) also established its Women’s Commission with the first Chairwoman Mrs. Gilda Antzel of Greece. The first European Women’s Cup was held in 1999 which name changed to European Women’s Boxing Championships in 2001.

The first competition day of the 2001 European Women’s Boxing Championships was April 10 in France while the finals were held on April 14. The total number of the boxers was 78 in the historical first European Women’s Boxing Championships in France where the participants could compete in 11 weight classes from the pinweight (45kg) up to the heavyweight (+81kg).

The following 14 nations attended in the 2001 European Women’s Boxing Championships in St. Amand-les-Eaux: Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. Russia was the lone nation which attended with maximum number of 11 boxers in the 2001 European Women’s Boxing Championships.

Out of the 11 Russians, 10 achieved medals in St. Amand-les-Eaux including six titles which delivered the top position for the country in the team standings and medal table. France and Turkey both achieved two gold medals in the event while Norway claimed one title. Hungary, Greece, Sweden, Germany, Moldova, Finland and Ukraine all earned at least one medal in St. Amand-les-Eaux.

The first gold medal of the 2001 European Women’s Boxing Championships was achieved by France’s Oria Mahmoud who defeated Hungary’s Maria Narozsnik in the final of the pinweight (45kg). Turkey’s Hulya Sahin won the European Women’s Cup in 1999 and in 2000 and she had already strong experiences in the sport therefore her success over France’s Vanessa Bertaux was not a surprise. Her fellow Hasibe Ozer claimed the next title in St. Amand-les-Eaux after beating Germany’s lone finalist Dagmar Koch at the flyweight (51kg).

Russia’s first gold medal out of their six was taken by Elena Karpacheva who had a tough start against Switzerland’s Nicole Michel in the first preliminary round but following that narrow success, she managed to win all of her further fights including the final against France’s Audrey Garcia. Her fellow Tatyana Chalaya walked over to the final of the lightweight (60kg) following her opponent Moldova’s Elena Hadji was unable to box in the last competition day.

Norway sent only two boxers to the event but among them Henriette Birkeland has been crowned at the featherweight (57kg). The Norwegian boxer landed more punches than Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Szuknai and celebrated her European gold in St. Amand-les-Eaux. Two of the favourites as Romania’s Mihaela Cijevschi and Finland’s Maarit Teuronen both were eliminated already in the first preliminary round. Since then both of them work as coach in their national teams.

France’s Myriam Lamare eliminated Sweden’s Frida Wallberg and Russia’s Yulia Nemtsova during her road to the final of the light welterweight (63.5kg) and she was too strong for her last rival Greece’s Nikoletta Kavka. Russia’s Irina Sinetskaya was in different level than any of her rivals and dominated the welterweight (67kg) in St. Amand-les-Eaux where she won her final over France’s Esther Durand by RSCO.

The Russians won the heavier weight classes in the 2001 European Women’s Boxing Championships. Olga Slavinskaya stopped Turkey’s Nurhayat Hicyakmazer at the light middleweight (71kg) before Svetlana Andreyeva triumphed over Sweden’s legend Anna Laurell at the middleweight (75kg). The last title of the whole event was taken by Olga Domuladzhanova who stopped France’s Stephanie Bof.

List of the winners in the 2001 European Women’s Boxing Championships

• Pinweight (45kg): Oria Mahmoud, France
• Light flyweight (48kg): Hulya Sahin, Turkey
• Flyweight (51kg): Hasibe Ozer, Turkey
• Bantamweight (54kg): Elena Karpacheva, Russia
• Featherweight (57kg): Henriette Birkeland, Norway
• Lightweight (60kg): Tatyana Chalaya, Russia
• Light welterweight (63.5kg): Myriam Lamare, France
• Welterweight (67kg): Irina Sinetskaya, Russia
• Light middleweight (71kg): Olga Slavinskaya, Russia
• Middleweight (75kg): Svetlana Andreyeva, Russia
• Heavyweight (+81kg): Olga Domuladzhanova, Russia