Thirty-nine contests were on the official program of the third competition day at the 17th edition of the Silesian Women’s Open Tournament in Gliwice, Poland. Italy’s Olena Savchuk won a tight contest in the session but several of the European U22 talents also shined in the third day of boxing in Gliwice.
The new 17th edition of the Silesian Open will be preparation events for the upcoming IBA Youth World Boxing Championships, EUBC European Women’s Elite Boxing Championships, ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships and the EUBC European Junior Boxing Championships. The Technical Delegate of the Silesian Women’s Open Tournament is Mr. Dragoljub Radovic of Montenegro.
The competition is being held for the women’s elite, youth and junior boxers in Gliwice. The Event Director Mr. Henryk Wilk is the engine of the Silesian Women’s Open Tournament who launched the competition to develop female boxing in Poland and in the entire European continent.
The bout of the day
Italy’s Olena Savchuk has strong national opponents but she shined in several previous international events including the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships therefore she is the best option for the country at the bantamweight (54kg). The Italian girl had a talented rival in the last eight, Czech Republic’s Claudia Totova who achieved a silver at the EUBC Youth European Boxing Championships. The Italian had the strong footwork to catch the Czech teenager but Totova was competitive until the final seconds in their quarter-final. Savchuk had the stamina in the last round to decide their contest and advanced to the medal stage where Kazakhstan’s Balaussa Muzdiman will be waiting for her.
The Round-Up
Sweden’s Norah Guzlander competed in the international events between 2011 and 2017 and after a few years of break, she returned at the 2021 National Championships last December. The Silesian Women’s Open Tournament is her next competition in this new career era but she met Poland’s energetic Natalia Rok in Gliwice. The Polish light flyweight (50kg) boxer was never stopped attacking in their meeting and she forced the Swedish girl from the first seconds. Rok won their quarter-final bout unanimously which means she is already a guaranteed medallist in Gliwice.
France’s Gloria D’Almeida had strong youth results in 2016 and 2017 before she joined the U22 and elite national teams. The 23-year-old French moved up to the light flyweight (50kg) and she had a good performance in the previous months of the year. D’Almeida shocked Poland’s Zuzanna Kubicka in the first round when the referee counted the local girl and she took the strong advantage on the scorecards. The French boxer’s second round was brilliant and strong therefore the referee stopped their unequal quarter-final bout. D’Almeida’s next opponent will be Kazakhstan’s two-time World Champion Nazym Kyzaibay in the semi-finals of this tough weight category.
Czech Republic’s Lenka Bernardova earned a fantastic bronze medal at the Sofia 2019 EUBC Youth European Boxing Championships when she was added to the travelling team in the final minute. The 21-year-old Czech girl is planning to participate in her first EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships next month in Montenegro and she proved her next impressive performance in Gliwice on Day3. Bernardova controlled all of the three rounds against Switzerland’s Ana Milisic and she will now meet for the title bout Lithuania’s experienced Ana Starovoitova who eliminated a local Polish girl.
Italy’s former Women’s World Champion Alessia Mesiano found her best category, the lightweight (60kg) in the recent one year and she impressed in all of her international events in 2022. The Italian boxer enjoys her second golden era in her career and she proved patient style of boxing against a strong Asian opponent, Thailand’s Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Porntip Buapa. Mesiano’s routine was the difference between them on Day3 and the Italian will be meeting her previous teammate, Valentina Bustamante of Chile in the next session. Bustamante eliminated already Kazakhstan’s Rimma Volosenko and Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson in Gliwice therefore their contest could be a highlight.
Serbia’s Natalia Shadrina competed at the lightweight (60kg) in all of her previous events but she moved up to the light welterweight (63kg) and she is planning to participate in Budva in this new category. The ex-Russian boxer controlled her second contest in Gliwice, she eliminated Sweden’s Jenny Lundberg by unanimous decision and she is a guaranteed medallist in the Silesian Open. Poland’s Wioleta Teichman, Italy’s Assunta Canfora and Kazakhstan’s Aida Abikeyeva are the further boxers who advanced to the semi-finals in this elite weight class.
