Will he win a medal after 12 years of Korean boxing. 'Only Hope' Lim Ae-ji's decision to advance to the quarterfinals
Jul 31, 2024
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Lim Ae-ji (25, Hwasun County Office), the last hope of Korean boxing at the Paris Olympics, will be able to reach the quarterfinals and dream of winning a bronze medal.
Lim Ae-ji won 4-1 (30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 27-30) against Brazil's Tatiana Regina G Jesus Chagas in the women's 54kg round of 16 at the North Arena in Paris, France on the 31st (Korea time).
Four judges ruled that Lim Ae-ji was dominant throughout the first to third rounds, while only one other ruled that the Brazilian was dominant in all rounds.
Only two Korean boxing players, Oh Yeon-ji and Lim Ae-ji, competed in the Olympics. In June, he was able to come to Paris after winning a dramatic ticket in the second world qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics in Bangkok, Thailand.
Oh Yeon-ji (Ulsan Sports Council), who weighs 60kg, a sign of Korean women's boxing, was eliminated after losing to Taiwan's Usui in the round of 32. Fortunately, the round of 32 was able to start from the round of 16 with a bye.
Lim Ae-ji, who won by decision while making full use of her long-term outboxing, will fight Colombia's Yeni Marcella Arias Castaneda for the semifinals. In boxing, a bronze medal is secured even if the semifinals are advanced without a third or fourth place match. In other words, if Lim Ae-ji beats a Colombian player, she will secure a bronze medal.
Boxing, which used to be one of Korea's filial events, has not seen a medal for a long time. The silver medal won by the men's lightweight Han Soon-cheol at the 2012 London Games was the last medal,
At the 2016 Rio Games, no one qualified for the Olympics, but Ham Sang-myung dramatically participated due to other countries' abandonment, and won the round of 32 but was eliminated in the round of 16. Oh Yeon-ji and Lim Ae-ji participated in the 2020 Tokyo Games, but both lost their first games.
indyk@sportschosun.com
