Canadian boxer Mckenzie Wright just misses the Olympic qualification in Bangkok

BANGKOK – Canadian boxer Mckenzie Wright just failed to make it to the Olympic Games on Sunday. He was defeated 5–0 by Mexico’s Fatima in the quarter-finals of the 50-kilogram women’s division in a final qualifying match.

A win would have seen the 34-year-old from Oakville, Ontario join Canadians Tammara Thibeault (75 kilograms) and welterweight Wyatt Sanford (63.5 kilograms) in Paris next month.

They booked their ticket because of their gold medal performances at last year’s Pan American Games. Both were members of Canada’s five-boxer team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Thibeault was the 2022 world champion.

The boxing match in Paris has thirteen weight classes: seven for men and six for women.

Wright was the last of nine Canadians to attempt to earn their Olympic ticket during the qualifier in Bangkok.

Scarlett Delgado, Terris Smith, Sara Kali, Junior Petanqui, Keven Beausejour and Doni Foreman lost earlier.

Marie Alahmadieh missed out on her first fight due to “unforeseen health issues,” according to Boxing Canada. Victor Tremblay failed to make weight for his first fight in the 57 kilogram category.

Wright earned a 5-0 decision over Serbia’s Nina Radovanovic on Saturday to advance to the last eight.

Wright, a graduate of Niagara College’s practical nursing program, won her third senior national title in 2023 after a four-year hiatus from boxing. Last year she also won bronze at the Pan American Games.

The qualifying competition in Bangkok, which runs until Monday, will determine the final 51 quota places (23 for women and 28 for men) for the Paris Games this summer.

There will be no title fights in Bangkok, with the action in each weight class coming to a standstill as the final Olympic berths are determined.

The Olympic boxing qualification consists of several steps. The first was five continental qualifying tournaments, with the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, covering North and South America.

A first World Qualifying Tournament was held in Busto Arzizio, Italy, from February 29 to March 12.

Competitors essentially had to finish in Italy’s top four to secure Olympic qualification, although that figure varied in some weight classes. In Canada, two athletes finished in the top eight: Delgado and super heavyweight Alexis Barriere, who subsequently chose to focus on a professional career.

Competitors also had to crack the top four in Bangkok to reach Paris. That benchmark could change, however, as host nation France is guaranteed a maximum of six quota spots (three for women and three for men), allowing a country to claim a spot in a weight class even if it doesn’t qualify a fighter.

Canada has won 17 Olympic boxing medals (three gold, seven silver and seven bronze), but none since 1996, when heavyweight David Defiagbon won silver in Atlanta.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2024.

The Canadian Press