Guaranteed to obtain at least a bronze medal, the French boxer Djamili Aboudou will be in the ring on Tuesday June 28 for a place in the final during his second participation in the Mediterranean Games. Anyone who dreamed of Tokyo 2020 does not want to miss out on Paris 2024 this time.
From our special correspondent in Oran,
Short of breath, Djamili Aboudou chased the blows, and won his quarter-final in front of an overexcited public, enough to ensure him at least a bronze medal at Oran for his second participation in the Mediterranean Games. In Tarragona in Spain in 2018, he left with the bronze. This time, the champion of France in the super-heavyweight category in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, has every intention of overturning the table to obtain the gold.
Experience and pressure management
But in the mind of Djamili Aboudou, it is Paris 2024 that always keeps him going. The bronze medalist at the 2017 European Championships does not hide his ambitions, to live the unique experience of the Olympic Games. It’s also a recurring topic of conversation with his friend Sofiane Oumiha, who won silver in Rio in 2016. He tells me about this incredible experience and it makes me dream “, he let go the day after his fight, his mind clear and his body rested. Tuesday, June 28, it will be the semi-final and one more step towards a first international gold medal.
“ Here, it’s a bit “little Olympics”. There was an opening ceremony that gave us chills, with a packed stadium. The audience is so enthusiastic that it gives even more motivation. “Adding:” In the boxing hall, the Algerian people are there. People shout and motivate the athletes, it’s nice. Djamili Aboudou feels far from the atmosphere of Tarragona. It must be said that in Oran, it is often the scramble to find a place in the stands. But all this hubbub does not intimidate him. Djamili Aboudou has experience and knows how to handle pressure.
To forget the poor results of Tokyo
The boxer trains at the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (Insep) all year round. Since 2020, he has had the Olympics in mind. Injured in the biceps in April 2019, he had not been selected for the Tokyo Olympic Qualification Tournament, in favor of Mourad Aliev. Djamili Aboudou had collected titles at the national level, he had been grilled politeness and had to leave his art of dodging in the locker room. The five boxers engaged in the land of the Rising Sun had all been eliminated, while France had brought back six medals from Rio 2016.
If Djamili Aboudou, who likes wrestling and judo, has passed his turn for Tokyo, he intends to take advantage of ” the adrenaline ” and “ stress » which push him to get into a ring to shine at home with the colors of France in 2024, he whose parents arrived from the Comoros around thirty years ago.
Born in Grande Sainte in 1996, Djamili Aboudou started Noble Art at the age of 14 and competition two years later. “ What I like is being in the ring, facing my opponent, to give the best of myself. In Paris, we will try to make people forget the poor results in Tokyo. »