Djamili Aboudou, athlete of the French team of the French Boxing Federation, who obtained his Olympic qualification last March, hopes to shine at Paris 2024 for his discovery of the Olympics. He is present at the European Championships which take place in Belgrade, Serbia, from April 18 to 29.
3 mins
“ Patience is the key to success “, says an Egyptian proverb. Djamili Aboudou, super-heavyweight (+92 kg), will compete in Paris for his first Olympic Games after obtaining his ticket last March during a qualifying tournament in Italy. The Northerner won 4 judges to 1 against the Canadian Alexis Barrière, sparring partner of WBC champion Tyson Fury.
“ I worked to fill in the gaps, it worked »
At 28 years old, the super heavyweight will therefore take out the gloves next summer. But the road to the Olympics was very long for the six-time French champion between 2016 and 2022. Djamili Aboudou who also won several international medals, including bronze at the 2017 European Championships and the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona in Spain and in 2022 in Oran in Algeria, was not selected for the Tokyo Olympic Qualifying Tournament due to a biceps injury in April 2019.
“ He was two years old in Oran during the Mediterranean Games, I already had this qualification in my head. Between the two periods, there was a lot of work », breathes this representative of a discipline which made its entry into the Olympic Games in 1904. Djamili Aboudou, who is aiming for gold in front of the French public, has focused his training on mobility and the impact of his shots. “ I worked to fill in the gaps, it worked », says the colossus who started with football before turning to the noble art. And to add: “ Many people no longer believed it. I had a lot of messages from friends who congratulated me for not giving up. For me, it’s almost eight years of hard work before deliverance. »
A more extensive technical-tactical range
Djamili Aboudou must continue to gain strength while working on his qualities and faults. “ His technical-tactical range is more extensive and he is better able to adapt to his rivals in the ring », deciphered his coach Malik Bouziane during his Olympic qualification. “ Time passes very quickly, we will have to coal. If the first objective is achieved, there is still a way to go to get on the podium in Paris », underlines Djamili Aboudou.
“ Whether for the girls or the boys, there is a big French team. We should do great things at home in Paris », Says Djamili Aboudou. After the rain of medals which celebrated the triumph of French boxers in Rio, Brazil in 2016, six Olympic charms, including two gold for Tony Yoka and Estelle Mossely, the French boxing team had more modest ambitions in Tokyo. She returned from Japan with zero points, just like in 2012 in London.
Djamili Aboudou is therefore launched into a home stretch which will see him compete in the European Championships in Serbia as a big rehearsal before the Olympic deadline. “ I would like to produce a result to make an impression », he indicates in passing. Djamili Aboudou, who recently completed an internship in Cuba, the Mecca of boxing, promises to give his all in the ring.