The junior girls had tough and tight contests at the Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament in Usti nad Labem on Day2. The three-days long competition is a preparation for the upcoming EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships. Two newcomers in the international stage of boxing, the Czech Republic’s Aneta Vytaskova and Hungary’s Dominika Salanki both won their semi-finals by split decisions on Day2.
Usti nad Labem is the boxing capital in the Czech Republic, the city is famous of its Grand Prix. Following the elite competition, Usti nad Labem hosts an international junior competition to give chance for their younger talents. The EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships will start in Montesilvano, Italy on September 25 and almost all of the participants of the Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament are planning to attend there.
The Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament was a regional event in the past but several new nations joined the competition. Boxers who were born in 2006 or in 2007 are eligible to compete in Usti nad Labem.
The bout of the day
Czech Republic developed its women’s boxing life so actively in the previous years and their schoolgirls, junior and youth talents achieved some exceptional results. Aneta Vytaskova was silver medallist in the 2022 Czech Junior National Championships but this is her first international event. The 15-year-old Czech girl was nervous in the first round against Slovenia’s promising Naca Nikolov Veber but she proved better performance minutes by minutes to win their lightweight (60kg) contest in Usti nad Labem. Vytaskova will be meeting for the title of the category with her main national rival, Katrin Ivanovova which could be a top bout on Day3. Ivanovova defeated Vytaskova this April and their re-match could be an exciting moment in the Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament.
The Round-Up
Hungary’s Dominika Salanki lives and trains in a boxing family but the Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament is one of her first huge event after the national competitions. She claimed a bronze medal at the 2021 Hungarian Junior National Championships but since then she moved down two categories. Following her active training sessions, she was enough strong to control her first semi-final bout against Czech Republic’s Nikol Dvorska and marched into the final of the women’s junior featherweight (57kg). Her final opponent will be another Czech boxer, the EUBC European Schoolgirl Champion 15-year-old Viktorie Jilkova.
The Hungarians have a strong junior team and they have strong expectations in the upcoming EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships. Their Daniel Frank participated at the 2021 EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships in Tbilisi at the age of 15 and increased his international experiences in 2022. Frank lost to Latvia’s Nikolajs Zamjatins at the featherweight (57kg) in Usti nad Labem on Day1 but he proved much better performance in the next competition day. The 16-year-old Frank dominated all of the three rounds against Slovakia’s Tobias Zelenak and won the bout by unanimous decision.
Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Cerveny spent a very short time in the ring on Day2, he stopped his teammate, Jaroslav Macho at the male lightweight (60kg) in Usti nad Labem. Cerveny landed several tough shots in the first round and the referee confirmed his RSC triumph. Czech Republic’s Dominik Pesek defeated a Hungarian opponent on Day1 and he continued his winning path against another boxer from the country, the 15-year-old Ahmed Szakal and proved his talent before the main junior championships of the year.
