Wahner writes history for Germany and seven Europeans are in the finals at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships
23 November 2018The eighth competition day of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships was held in the Indian capital in New Delhi where the second part of the semi-finals was taking place. Germany’s first ever finalist is Ornella Wahner while Ukraine’s Maria Badulina-Bova has the chance to win her second gold after 2012.
Altogether 277 boxers are attending in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and among them 118 athletes are from 27 different European nations in New Delhi. Europe claimed 15 guaranteed medals after the quarter-finals and among them seven boxers reached also the finals and remained their chance alive to be crowned in India.
Germany’s Ornella Wahner is one of their best female boxers who impressed in the recent years in spite of her injuries which she suffered several times. She claimed gold medal in the Antalya 2011 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and after seven years that success she is in the top among the elite athletes. The 25-year-old German featherweight (57kg) boxer eliminated China’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist Yin Junhua in the previous round and impressed in the last four when she met with Netherlands’ Jemyma Betrian. Wahner used her better tempo to land effective punches against her neighbouring opponent and became the first German woman boxer who could advance to the final of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
Ukraine’s Maria Badulina-Bova was AIBA Women’s World Champion at the welterweight (69kg) in Qinhuangdao six years ago and in the current season she was also in top form. The Ukrainian light welterweight (64kg) boxer had to meet in the last four with Turkey’s Sema Caliskan who claimed silver medal in the Sofia 2018 EUBC European Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships. The Ukrainian boxer was confident from the first seconds against her Turkish opponent and her long distance tactic paid off in the semi-finals today. Badulina-Bova followed her teammate’s Hanna Okhota’s footsteps and advanced to the final of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships as second Ukrainian.
Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontijn was named as AIBA Woman Boxer of the Year 2017 and her only approvable medal in New Delhi for her is the gold. The middleweight (75kg) boxer used her distance against Wales’ first ever medallist in the history of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships Lauren Price in the first round. The younger Welsh boxer, who claimed gold medal in the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, tried to adopt the level of the bout but Fontijn was better in her own game today. The Dutch No.1 will be meeting for the title with her old and main rival China’s Li Qian in New Delhi.
Turkey’s veteran Sennur Demir is 17-year-older than Russia’s Kristina Tkacheva but she is still enough strong to beat anyone at the heavyweight (+81kg). The 19-year-old Russian, who lives and trains in the host city of the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Ulan-Ude, received a warning in the second round from the Japanese referee. Demir used up all of her experiences to eliminate her Russian teenage rival but she was more efficient in their exchanges and advanced to the final of the heaviest weight class.
