Seven pugilists from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are preparing to face the quarter-finals of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This competition will take place on Wednesday September 13 in Dakar, Senegal.
The Congolese boxers demonstrated a remarkable performance in these qualifiers, with the aim of doing better than in the previous qualifiers where the DRC managed to obtain 4 places for the Tokyo Olympic Games. It is obvious that the competition will be difficult, particularly in the face of strong competition from Maghreb countries which have significant resources for the preparation of their athletes. However, Congolese boxers hope to capitalize on their momentum at the last African Championships, where they took second place for the first time in their history.
The seven boxers qualified for the quarter-finals are as follows:
– KITANGILA Idriss, male category – 57 kg
– Steve KULENGULUKA, men’s category – 71 kg
– Gisèle NYEMBO, women’s category – 54 kg
– Bénédicte DIYOKA, female category – 50 kg
– Marcelat SAKOBI, women’s category – 57 kg
– Brigitte MBABI, women’s category – 66 kg
– MWIKA Marie Joëlle, women’s category – 75 kg
Unfortunately, some boxers failed to advance to the quarter-finals. They are Gloire KALONGO, Fiston MBAYA, Peter PITA, KABEJI Maroy, SADIKI Thérèse and YUMBA.
The participation of Congolese pugilists in these Olympic qualifications is a real sign of progress for boxing in the DRC. They proudly represent their country and seek to surpass themselves to secure a place for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
Let us hope that their commitment and determination will allow them to achieve great performances and carry the colors of the Democratic Republic of Congo high on the Olympic stage.