AIBA's - 2nd European Women's Youth and Junior Championships 

Love defeats all in Calais

Former European Junior Champion and top favourite 17-year-old Love Holgersson of Sweden claimed the gold medal in the welterweight division at the 2nd European Women's Youth and Junior Championships in Calais, France.

(Photo Love Holgersson 60 kg) 

The young Nordic Champion swept aside her opponents encountered tough opposition against Guluzar Kara of Turkey in the final, with the verdict a close 3:2 to Linnea-based Holgersson.

For most of the young female boxers the event was a good opportunity to increase their international experience and prepare for the 1st AIBA Women's Youth and Junior World Championships, which are slated for next year.

Altogether sixteen European nations competed in the championships: Bulgaria, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine.

Another top boxer from Sweden, 18-year-old European Junior Champion Maja Stroemberg, defeated France's Hadria Bader by 5:1 in the youth light flyweight class. World Championships bronze medalist Aleksandra Kuleshova's younger sister Viktoriya claimed the gold medal at the Olympic flyweight among the youth boxers.

Ukraine's Diana Yakovleva was the main favourite at 54kg but she was defeated by Segolene Lefebvre by 6:3 in the final and the young local boxer secured France's only gold in the youth level.

England's Charley Davison had a hard fight in the semi-final against Russia's Tatyana Chibrova where the experienced Russian fighter led by 5:0 but the young English athlete put in an incredible final round and won the contest by accepted scores. Davison had only eight bouts before the championships but claimed the gold at 57kg after beating Germany's Ornella Wahner in the final.

Russia's new star 17-year-old Nikolayev Cup winner Anastasiya Belyakova, who was also quarter-finalist at the 6th AIBA Women's World Championships in Barbados, triumphed at the Olympic lightweight class in Calais as the experts expected.

France's best youth boxer, EU Champion 18-year-old Estelle Mosselly, surprisingly missed the medal in Calais because she lost her first quarter-final contest to Anastasiya Belyakova by 8:4 in a tactical fight.

The Russian storm continued during the youth finals, firstly Krasnodar-based Yaroslava Yakushina claimed the gold at 64kg, Elite National Champion and European Junior Champion Svetlana Kosova won the Olympic 75kg, Daria Ivanova was crowned at the 81kg, while Valentina Mikhaylina secured the gold medal at the heaviest weight class in Calais.

Among the junior boxers Russia's Svetlana Dmitriyeva from Sterlitamak easily dimissed her rivals in the 46kg weight division while France's new top junior athlete Pauline Lecomte did the same at 48kg.

One of the best final fights among the junior boxers was between Russia's 16-year-old Alena Lankova and Ukraine's Viktoria Virt at the 54kg weight class where the Russian took the glory. Sweden's best junior boxer, 16-year-old Patricia Berghult from Hoellvikens BK, showed her skills again and claimed the gold medal at the Olympic 60kg.

AIBA Article.

Photo credit: Swedish Boxing Federation