Cuban-born Ramirez named 10th US boxer for Tokyo games
LAS VEGAS: Featherweight Yarisel Ramirez was added to the Tokyo Olympics boxing tournament on Saturday, becoming the 10th member of the US team to qualify.
She had already traveled to Japan in anticipation of gaining a late slot, and news of her addition by US Boxing set off a celebration with her teammates. Ramirez is the fourth American fighter to be awarded a late place at the games. Ater the US initially faced the prospect of heading to Tokyo with its smallest team in Olympic history, US Boxing actually will have two more boxers in Tokyo than it had in Rio five years ago.
“Yarisel has been in this final training camp working extremely hard, waiting for this opportunity if her name were to be called,” said Mike Mcatee, US Boxing’s executive director.
“During this whole process, Yarisel has showed nothing but maturity, determination and the drive to fulfill her Olympic dreams.”
Ramirez is geting one of the world qualifier allocation slots declined by Costa Rica’s Julianna Rodriguez and Argentina’s Leonela Sánchez, according to the website of the Boxing Task Force running the Tokyo tournament. Sánchez won the gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games while Ramirez won bronze.
The 22-year-old Ramirez was born in Cuba, and she lives and trains in Las Vegas. Her first fight will be July 24, the opening day of competition in Tokyo and exactly two weeks from her addition to the field.
“Through hard work, perseverance and faith, you can live your dreams,” Ramirez said.
With Ramirez’s addition, US Boxing is currently the only team with a representative in all five women’s divisions in Tokyo. The Olympics added two weight classes - including the 57-kilogram (125.7 pounds) division, Ramirez’s featherweight, class - and increased the total number of women from 36 to 100 for the sport’s third trip to the Olympics.
The US is the most successful nation in Olympic boxing history, winning 50 gold medals and 114 total medals. But primarily thanks to qualification changes caused by the coronavirus pandemic, only six Americans - and just two men - were in the initial version of the Tokyo Olympic field two months ago.