Team Canada is unstoppable at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games
Midway through the 2018 Commonwealth Game, six of the seven Canadian boxers have made their debut in the competition and it seems like no opponents can stay in the way of Team Canada’s medals pursuit.
Indeed, the Canadian delegation remains undefeated after eight convincing bouts and has already secured a total of five medals so far. With two more semifinals tomorrow, the entire Canadian contingent could very well be standing on the podium.
Here’s a recap of the Canadians’ performances over day 5 and 6 of the Games:
75KG - Tammara Thibeault VS Essiane Chlotine (Cameroon)
Tammara’s win over Cameroonian Essiane Chlotilde was one of the more competitive bouts of the Games thus far and it seems like the Canadian boxer wants to continue her winning strike since claiming gold at the 2017 Continental Championships.
With a 3-2 split decision from the judges, Tammara Thibeault successfully advances to the semifinals against Lauren Price from Wales on April 13th. Keep an eye on her as she might reach the top of the podium once again!
81KG – Harley-David O’Reilly VS Louis Cedric Olivier (Mauritius)
In what was a very dominant bout, O’Reilly showed us his prowess. The 2016 Gants Dorés champion won all three rounds with a unanimous decision from the judges. He certainly made Canada proud and promises to go all the way.
With his dominance over Olivier, O’Reilly now moves on to the quarterfinals on April 11th and will be facing Yombo from Cameroon in an attempt to secure a medal in the following round.
57 KG – Sabrina Aubin VS Vicki Glover (Scotland)
Another Canadian athlete moves on to the semifinals! Sabrina secured a medal by winning a competitive quarterfinals bout against Scottish opponent, Vicki Glover. The 33-year-old had a tough second round and she knew she had to get more aggressive in the final round. Sabrina showed heart in the last few moments of the third round and received a 3-2 score from the judges.
“I won with my heart at the end, it wasn’t technical. I did everything I needed to do to win this fight,” said Sabrina Aubin after an intense opening bout. “Now I have two days before semifinals, so I will keep my focus and recover as much as possible.”
On April 13th, Sabrina will be facing Skye Nicolson in the semifinals. Sabrina will have to show true skill and heart to overcome the Australian native. Not only does Skye have the home advantage and the crowd behind her, but she is also Sabrina’s toughest challenger to date and her last opponent before reaching the finals!
64 KG – Thomas Blumenfeld VS Nkumbu Silungwe (Zambia)
Three competitors down and two to go to win gold! It is no secret that the men’s light-welterweight division has the biggest number of boxers compared to the other boxing divisions in the Commonwealth Games. So far, Thomas passed through three opponents to make his way to the semifinals.
His bout against the Zambian did not seem as challenging as we assumed it would be. Using his jab to control the bout, Thomas won all three rounds with the judges scoring it 5 - 0. At this point of the Games, one would assume that the 2017 Celtic Cup champion would be somewhat tired and be slowing down, but it is not the case with Blumenfeld! He keeps pushing the pace and running through his opponents.
“Even though I am in the medal rounds, there’s only one medal I’m after and that’s gold!” said Thomas Blumenfeld after exiting the ring.