2024 Paris Olympics Wrap-Up

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games saw the Australia Boxing team qualify their largest ever squad, with 12 athletes competing and representing their nation proudly in the French capital at the North Paris Arena and Stade Roland Garros. This year’s highly talented contingent of elite national boxers eclipsed several records including the London 2012 team with 11 athletes, as the biggest ever Australian Olympic boxing lineup.

This motivated group of Olympians were led by Santiago Nieva as head coach and supported by Victoria’s Marcos Amado and Queensland’s Shara Romer.

This historic presentation of Australian boxing skill also saw the most female Australian boxers to ever compete at an Olympics, as six women were sent consequently tripling Tokyo 2020’s previous record of two.

Victorian boxer, Tyla McDonald (W60kg) was up first to compete on the Olympic schedule. Inspired by former Olympic gold medallist from Ireland, Katie Taylor, McDonald is a four-time Australian national champion. She secured a place at her debut Olympics in Paris after beating Erin Walsh from New Zealand and winning a Pacific Games gold. McDonald trains at Peninsula Boxing in Victoria, the same gym as teammate Caitlin Parker and is also coached by Marcos Amado. McDonald opened proceedings for the Australians in Paris going up against Ecuadorian athlete and Pan American Games Bronze medallist, Maria Jose Palacios, who was competing at her second consecutive Olympics. McDonald ultimately suffered a unanimous decision loss against a seasoned veteran of the sport but now has the experience of an Olympic Games journey to progress her career going forward.

After clinching bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and becoming Australia’s first boxing medallist in 33 years since Grahame Cheney, Victorian Harry Garside (M63.5kg) returned for his second straight Games. Garside’s attendance at the Pacific Games last year sealed his Olympic position and confirmed another gold accolade to add to his 2018 Commonwealth success in the Gold Coast. Unfortunately, Garside was eliminated in his Paris round of 16 bout against an animated Richard Kovacs from Hungary, who is a two-time bronze medallist at the European Championships. Despite going out of the tournament earlier than he anticipated, Garside now has the pride of being a two-time Olympian and all the acquired boxing knowledge that comes with this proud accomplishment. 

Western Australian Yusuf Chothia (M51kg) was the next Australian up on the Olympic schedule to compete after Garside. He has won the Australian title three times and was crowned a Pacific Games champion last year, winning against Clinton Tetekana from the Solomon Islands in the final. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chothia has trained and honed his skills at Synergy Gym for the last nine years. He has become a treasured part of the elite Australian boxing setup, representing the nation globally in countries such as the US, Italy and now of course France. For his round of his 16 bout in Paris, Chothia was drawn against Spain’s Rafael Lozano Jr whose father competed at the 1992 Olympics. A back-and-forth contest, Chothia managed to go up on one of the judges’ scorecards but ultimately lost the fight via unanimous decision. Chothia reassured after the bout that he’s a young boxer with hope that he still has a couple more Olympic runs in him.

South Australia’s Callum Peters (M80kg) of Indigenous and Torres-Strait Island descent, also made his long awaited first Olympic appearance in Paris. Peters has made a considerable name for himself in the sport having triumphed in two Australian championships and winning a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. An excruciatingly tough round of 16 draw saw him fight 2023 World Champion and highly regarded boxer from Kazakhstan, Nurbek Oralbay. A thoroughly captivating fight filled with heavy punch action as Oralbay was awarded the first round and Peters the second leaving it all up for grabs. Another round of high intensity battling saw three of the five judges score it for Oralbay who won via split-decision. The Kazakhstani would consequently make it all the way to the final gold medal bout. Despite not going as far as he would’ve hoped, Peters made quite the impression and statement in taking one of the world’s best all the way in an enthralling matchup.

Fellow first time Olympian from New South Wales No Quarter Boxing gym, Tiana Echegaray (W54kg), only started boxing in 2019 as a method to improve her overall fitness and lifestyle. Just five years on from picking up a pair of gloves, Echegaray has won the National Championships twice and a Pacific Games gold after beating Tonga’s Hainite Tuitupou to earn her place in Paris. Echegaray was also dealt an incredibly tough first Olympic matchup against 2022 Istanbul World Champion, Hatice Akbas. The Turkish boxer went on to win the Olympic Silver medal making it all the way to the final. Post-bout, Echegaray acknowledged Akbas as a very skilled opponent and that she loves the learning curve of the sport by fighting these elite level boxers.

2023 World Championships representative and two-time Australian national titleholder, Shannan Davey (M71kg), made his Olympic debut in Paris. Davey earned his spot after claiming revenge over New Zealand’s Wendell Stanley at the Pacific Games. Davey was beaten by Stanely via split decision in his first ever international bout but overpowered the New Zealander unanimously in Honiara last year, booking his flight to Paris. Davey overcame major injury related obstacles to make it to the Olympics, as in 2021 he ruptured his ACL whilst training, however, displayed commended resilience by returning to competition after just four months. A monumental achievement just to make it to the North Paris Arena, Davey was eliminated in his tough round of 16 bout by 2024 European Champion, Rami Kiwan from Bulgaria.

Monique Suraci (W50kg) hailing from the Australian Capital Territory was another one of the 10 Australian Olympic debutants who were in the team. Regularly improving at Stockade Training Centre, Suraci clinched gold at the 2023 Honiara Pacific Games after defeating Tasmyn Benny from New Zealand, securing her first ever Olympic qualification. The two-time Australian national champion was knocked out by 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medallist and 2023 New Delhi World Championships bronze medallist from Colombia, Ingrit Valencia. A 12-year age gap between the two competitors, the South American veteran showed her experience after recording a decision victory on points in the round of 16.

Victorian athlete, Marissa Williamson Pohlman (W66kg) became the first Indigenous woman to compete for Australia in Olympic boxing. Last year, she also was the first ever female recipient of Arthur Tunstall trophy for her immense performances at the 2023 Australian Elite Boxing Championships where she claimed gold. Williamson Pohlman’s Olympic experience came to an end after losing through unanimous decision against 11-time Hungarian national champion, Anna Luca Hamori who became the first female boxer to represent her country at an Olympics. This was Williamson Pohlman’s first encounter against the Hungarian in which she can add to the impressive repertoire of world-renowned fighters she has now faced in the ring.

Tina Rahimi (W57kg) adds to this historic boxing team as she became the first Muslim Australian woman to compete in boxing at any Olympics. An accomplished boxer, Rahimi claimed bronze at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Heavily inspired by the great Muhammad Ali, Rahimi has shaped her impressive skillset by training with the likes of Jeff Mayweather and Billy Dib who helped make her Olympic dream a reality. Rahimi faced off against Polish national champion and eventual silver medallist in Paris, Julia Szeremeta in her debut Olympic bout. A tough contest, Rahimi was eliminated by the Polish athlete via unanimous decision.

Australia’s super heavyweight representation at the Paris Olympics was Queensland’s Teremoana Teremoana (M+92kg). He entered the competition off the back of some electric form, winning the 2023 Australian title and beating all three of his opponents at last year’s Pacific Games via KO/TKO. In his round of 16 bout against Ukraine’s Dmytro Lovchynski, Teremoana produced a fiercely dominant display, forcing the referee to call an end to the contest with just more than 10 seconds left in the very first round. In a rematch from last year’s World Championships, Teremoana’s quarter-final fight was against reigning Olympic champion from Uzbekistan, Bakhodir Jalolov. After losing to Jalolov via second round RSC last year, Teremoana produced a far more competitive performance in Paris, taking the Uzbekistani all the way through three rounds. An entertaining encounter of intelligent boxing wit, Teremoana did lose unanimously on the judges’ scorecards as Jalolov would go on to win his second consecutive Olympic gold medal. Whilst he didn’t get the victory, Teremoana was incredibly proud of his performance and the effort that went into his debut Olympic campaign.

The second Western Australia representative at this year’s Games, Charlie Senior (M57kg), became just the 6th Australian man in boxing to return from the Olympic Games with a medal.  Senior is a two-time Australian title winner and competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He secured a spot in Paris with a Pacific Games final triumph over Allan Oaike from Papua New Guinea. A classy display in his first ever Olympic fight saw Senior score a unanimous points win over 2022 European Champion from Belgium, Vasile Usturoi. Senior then confirmed his medal with a tight quarter-final victory against the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam who won a flyweight silver four years ago in Tokyo. His 3-2 points win against Paalam secured his place in a semi-final against Uzbekistan’s Olympic flag bearer and 2023 World Champion, Abdumalik Khalokov. A competitive fight, Senior was unable to stop Khalokov who went on to win the tournament gold against Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu, after a unanimous decision win over the Australian. Senior expressed that his medal triumph was a dream come true and that he was grateful to perform so well in front of his family and friends. We congratulate Senior massively on his colossal accomplishment that few Aussies have managed to replicate.

Caitlin Parker (W75kg) made history in becoming the first ever Australian woman to win an Olympic medal in boxing.  Returning for her second Olympics after a round of 16 elimination in Tokyo, she started her monumental campaign by defeating Mexican fighter, Citlalli Ortiz, in a dominant unanimous decision victory. Parker faced off against 2023 heavyweight World Champion from Morocco, Khadija Mardi, in her quarter final bout. Losing on just one of the judges’ scorecards’, Parker scored a 4-1 points triumph over her fellow World Championships medallist, sealing the medal for Australia. Parker’s semi-final fight was against prior two-time Olympic medallist, China’s Qian Li. A strong first round saw Parker up on all scorecards but it just wasn’t enough to hold off Li who went on to beat Panama’s Atheyna Bylon in the final and claim gold. An enthralling tournament run; Parker can now add that heavily sought after Olympic medal to her incredible host of accolades. After achieving her historic feat, Parker hopes she can continue to be a role model, inspiring women that they are capable of anything they put their mind to. We are incredibly proud to celebrate Parkers history-making success and hope there are still many more triumphs to come in her career.

Boxing Australia would like to give a massive congratulations and thankyou to all our boxers who represented their country so proudly and competitively at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.  We would also like to extend these congratulations and thanks to head coach, Santiago Nieva, and coaches, Marcos Amado and Shara Romer. Along with all the support from the Australian Olympic Committee, Australian Sports Commission and Combat Australia who all make up our high performance support team.

A truly historic Olympics for Australian boxing as it became the first Games in 64 years since the nation had walked away with two medals in the sport. We wish good luck to everyone on their post-Olympic journey. Again, another special acknowledgement must also be handed to Australia’s 2024 boxing Olympic Medallists, Caitlin Parker and Charlie Senior, well done on creating such memorable moments.