SOUTH American countries, Argentina apart, have a poor record of winning medals in the summer Olympics. Will Brazil who have yet to strike gold succeed on home turf this summer?
Brazil’s medal tally is one silver and three bronze medals. They have entered each boxing tournament at the Olympics since 1948, apart from 1984, with London 2012 being their most successful event.
In Mexico City in 1968, flyweight. Servillo de Oliveira won their first ever boxing medal (bronze), losing to Mexico’s Ricardo Delgado, the eventual gold medallist. Fast forward forty-four years to London 2012 where three medals were captured.
At London 2012 the Falcao brothers, won silver and bronze and in the women’s competiton (the first in Olympic history), Adriana Araujo also took a bronze.
Middleweight Esquiva Falcao took Brazil’s first silver medal, outscoring Team GB’s Anthony Ogogo along the way, only to lose out by a single point in the final to Japan’s Ryota Murata. One weight up at light-heavy, Yamaguchi Falcao took bronze, losing to the eventual gold medallist from Russia, Egor Mekhontsev.
Lightweight, Adriano Araujo lost in her semi-final to Russia’s Sofya Ochigava, who then lost in the final to Ireland’s gold medallist, Katie Taylor.
So, can the host nation go one better this time and strike a golden first? We shall see but what better stage to do so, before your home fans in your home country.
Geographical neighbours and fierce sporting rivals, Argentina have amassed 24 Olympic boxing medals, seven gold, seven silver and ten bronze, while at the other end of the medal haul come Venezuela with five medals, one gold and two silver and two bronze. Colombia have three, all bronze, as does Chile, one silver and two bronze; Uruguay one, a single bronze are joined by Guyana also with a lone bronze.
