On October 25, the semifinals of the U19 World Boxing Championships took place in Budva, Montenegro. Four Ukrainian boxers competed for a place in the final, with two winning their bouts and two suffering defeats.
As a result, Ukraine has two finalists and two bronze medalists.
Kira Makohonenko competed in the 54 kg weight category. In the semifinal, she defeated Italy’s Kezia Reale by a 4:1 decision.
Makohonenko advanced to the final, where she will fight China’s Yang Sirui for the world title.
Sofia Novikova competed in the 80 kg category. In the semifinal, she faced Ekaterina Frolova and lost by a 0:5 decision. Novikova therefore finishes the tournament with a bronze medal.
Vladyslav Naumenko reached the semifinal in the 90 kg category. He defeated Kazakhstan’s Yerktang Zharkynbek by a 4:1 decision.
Naumenko advanced to the final and will now fight for the U19 world title.
Volodymyr Derkach competed in the +90 kg category. In the semifinal, he lost to Uzbekistan’s Islam Salikhov by a 0:5 decision.
Derkach takes home a bronze medal from the championship.
Therefore, Ukraine has secured four medals at the U19 World Boxing Championships: two bronze medals and two finalists who are guaranteed to win at least silver.
Kira Makohonenko and Vladyslav Naumenko will compete for gold in their respective weight categories.
The tournament finals will take place on October 27 in Budva. The championship features 474 athletes representing 69 federations.
As a reminder, Dmytro Polovych — Ukrainian powerlifter with cerebral palsy (CP), becomes a world record holder.