By Umedjon Yunusaliev (OCA Youn Reporter from Tajikistan)
Hangzhou, China, October 4, 2023: Tajik athlete Davlat Boltaev won a gold medal in boxing at the 19th Asian Games on the evening of October 3.
Boltaev, 24, defeated Han Xuezhen from China 3-2 in the final of the men’s 80-92 kg competition and won the gold medal.
In his first match, Boltaev defeated Arslonbek Ochilov from Turkmenistan by knockout in the second round, then he defeated Erkin Odilbek Uulu from Kyrgyzstan 4-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semi-finals, the Tajik boxer defeated Jeong Jaeming from Korea 5-0 to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Another Tajik boxer, Mijgona Samadova, was the first Tajik athlete to qualify for Paris by reaching the semi-finals of the women's 54-57 kgs, where she was beaten 3-2 by Karina Ibrahimova from Kazakhstan on October 4. Samadova earned a bronze medal, taking Tajikistan’s tally to seven (two gold, one silver and four bronze).