African Games: Tunisia gold medallist Khouloud Hlimi to captain the Accra team
🇬🇭 Countdown to the African Games in Accra, Ghana, March 8-23
TUNISIA SELECTS 14 BOXERS
Rabat gold medallist Khouloud Hlimi to captain the Accra team
Flyweight Zidi ruled out of Games by doctor
Tunisia’s sensational southpaw Khouloud Hlimi (pictured) will captain 14 boxers selected to do duty for the North African country in the African Games in Accra.
Hlimi melted with joy when she claimed lightweight gold at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco. Her sole medal enabled Tunisia finish seventh overall. She outpointed Botswana’s Aratwe Kasemang in the finals.
After her Rabat triumph, she moved down to featherweight during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers in Dakar where she decisioned Africa featherweight champion Marcelat Sakobi of DRC in the semis and Botswana’s Keamogetse Kenosi in the finals to book a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, losing her first fight to the eventual gold medallist Japan’s Sena Irie.
Hlimi beat Sakobi for the second time in a row in the finals of last year’s Africa Olympic qualifiers in Dakar. Both are among the 18 boxers from Africa who qualified for the Paris Olympics. She’s the only Tunisian qualifier so far.
If the statistics are anything to go by, Sakobi and Kenosi have their work cut out in Accra against the formidable Tunisian boxer.
Tunisia’s prospects of excelling in the African Games have received a severe jolt with their showboating flyweight Alaeddine Zidi ruled out of the Accra show by the doctor.
Tunisia’s national team head coach and director Montassar Ghannouni said it’s unfortunate Zidi will not be in Accra. He injured his shoulder in his flyweight final against Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba who was declared the winner by a third round knockout. Zidi, who slumped to the canvas in pain, had to be stretchered out of the ring.
“Unfortunately Zidi will not participate, he is recovering following the operation carried out after the accident in his final fight in Dakar,” said Ghannouni but he hopes his boxer will recover in time to take part in the 2nd World Olympic Qualifiers scheduled for Bangkok, Thailand, from May 23 to June 3.
“Zidi’s accident in Dakar caused him a double arm fracture,” said Ghannouni.
Bronze medallists in the Africa Championships in Yaounde last year, female light-flyweight Wafa Hafsi and men’s lightweight Saiefeddine Ayari, are also in the Accra team which has two newcomers, female lightweight Azza Nahdi and light-middleweight Zina Iben. There’s also promising middleweight Mabrouk Molka who was defeated by Kenya’s Liz Andiego in the Dakar Olympic qualifiers.
Coach Ghannouni put up his guard when I asked him on Tunisia’s prospects in Accra.
“I have confidence in my team but due to the closeness of dates for the Olympic qualifiers in Italy and the Games in Ghana it has complicated the situation, I will be in Italy and the other coaches in Tunisia will be preparing the team for the African Games,” Ghannouni told AFBC Communications in a telephone interview.
The 14 boxers to represent Tunisia in the African Games:
Men
Featherweight: Omar Khalifa
Lightweight: Saiefeddine Ayari
Light-welterweight: Mehdi Dridi
Welterweight: Zakaria Romdhani
Light-middleweight: Hamza Ghazovani
Middleweight: Youssef Rafrafi
Heavyweight: Ghaith Houimli
Women
Light-flyweight: Wafa Hafsi
Flyweight: Chadha Jlassi
Bantamweight: Islem Ferchichi
Featherweight: Khouloud Hlimi
Lightweight: Azza Nahdi
Light-middleweight: Zina Iben
Middleweight: Mabrouk Molka
✍🏼 AFBC Communications