He will compete this Wednesday, August 7, in the final of the Olympic boxing tournament in the under 63.5 kg category. Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha is just one fight away from Olympic gold, the only title missing from his long list of achievements. And the fans were not mistaken. Carried by the crowd at the Arena Paris Nord, the 29-year-old boxer, the public’s favorite, is living a waking dream that he intends to convert with gold around his neck. Report by Sofiane Amazian.
Few athletes can boast of warming up the crowd so much before even entering the competition. Sofiane Oumihasmiling and with a little lock of hair sticking to his forehead, entered the hearts of fans in 2016, thanks to his Olympic career, winning a silver medal at the Rio Games, but also for his infectious good humor, as one of his fans points out: ” Sofiane, we know him from Rio where he had already performed in 2016. What I like about amateur boxing is that it is invigorating, it allows for offensive fights and I think he represents these qualities. »
” We love this young man, there is a lot of fervour behind him now that he is the captain, maybe not the standard-bearer, but he represents the figure of boxing in France. “, adds another fan. The 29-year-old boxer, originally from Toulouse in the southwest of France, happily lets himself be carried away by the crowd: ” This is my third Olympiad and probably my last, and there is truly a magnificent aura. Honestly, I have incredible emotions. We are used to having the public against us, and here, they are with us as soon as we enter the ring. And I want to give back to them. And the best way to do it is to give it our all. We are together and the medal, I hope the most beautiful one, we will have it together. »
In Villepinte, Sofiane Oumiha was able to count on the presence of his good friend Tony Yoka, Olympic heavyweight champion in Rio in 2016. We tease each other a little, confides the latter. Sofiane, I’ve been telling him for a few years that what he needs to surpass me in terms of achievements is the Olympic title, because he has been world champion several times. He has been an Olympic medalist, but he needs a gold medal. » « He is the captain of this team, continues Tony Yoka, and I really hope he’s going to carry them, that he’s going to push them up, because we want medals, but we especially want gold medals. »
“If it vibrates that much, it will be just magnificent”
The French boxing team is already certain to leave with three medals. Djamili-Dini Aboudouqualified for the semi-finals of the tournament in the over 92 kilos category, confided about Sofiane Oumiha: ” He’s on a mission, it’s at home, it’s in Paris after his failure in Tokyo. He has everything going for him, he has the public, the country. In any case, he’s the best in his category. Normally, for him, it’s a gold medal. If he has the silver medal, he’ll be disappointed. »
Just one more step, then. After having tamed the Arena Paris Nord, Sofiane Oumiha is tackling a temple, the Roland-Garros stadium: ” If it vibrates that much, it will be just magnificent to have this atmosphere. Usually at Roland-Garros with tennis, we know that it is a little calm. And there, with an atmosphere like that, it will be crazy. I think Roland-Garros is 15,000 seats. When we see the atmosphere we have here, I don’t even dare to imagine the atmosphere there will be at Roland-Garros, but the end will be beautiful. »
A fight, a final to make history. Sofiane Oumiha, at home, has never been so close to realizing his great dream, finishing the Games with gold.
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