Canadian boxer Wyatt Sanford is already assured a spot on the podium, even before the Olympic boxing semifinals get underway.
It’ll be Canada’s first boxing medal since the Atlanta 1996 Olympics 28 years ago. It’s been 36 years since Lennox Lewis won Canada’s last boxing gold medal at Seoul 1988.
By defeating Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev in the men’s 63.5-kg quarterfinals on Thursday, Sanford punched his ticket to the next round.
But unlike most sports, where a semifinal loss means missing out on a medal, Olympic boxing guarantees a medal for both semifinalists, regardless of the outcome.
Wyatt Sanford will fight for #Boxing GOLD at #Paris2024
Watch it live on Aug. 4 at 6:30am ET on @cbcgem pic.twitter.com/PTUgNMum5G
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 1, 2024
Consequently, there are two bronze medallists in each boxing division.
So, why the exception?
According to Olympics.com, since boxing was introduced to the Olympics in 1904, athletes used to compete for a bronze medal in a separate match. However, in 1950, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) revised the rule, awarding bronze medals to both semifinal losers instead.
This change was made to address concerns about the limited recovery time between the semifinals and the bronze medal match, which posed health risks for the boxers.
Still, despite the technicality, Sanford, who will become Canada’s first Olympic boxing medallist in 28 years, says he wants to go for gold.
“I’m on top of the world,” Sanford told reporters on Thursday. “We’re finally, after 28 years of a drought, we’re bringing a medal home to Canada. But I know Canada wants the gold and I want to give it to them. So two more wins and we can do it.”
The Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, native is set to find out his opponent for Sunday’s bout. A win will propel him to the gold medal match on August 7.
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