Canadian boxer Tammara Thibeault wins gold at the Pan American Games

SANTIAGO, CHILE – Canadian boxer Tammara Thibeault has completed her two missions at the Pan American Games.

The 26-year-old from Shawinigan, Que., won gold in the women’s middleweight division and also qualified for next year’s Olympics in Paris.

“It means the world,” Thibeault said. “I was able to win gold in all the tournaments I competed in and missed Pan Ams. Now I’m missing the Olympics, but hopefully we’re on the right track and that’s what we’ll achieve.” .

“I am very proud of myself, very proud of my team. I couldn’t have done it alone.”

Thibeaut defeated Panama’s Atheyna Bylon by unanimous decision on Friday in a rematch of their 2022 world championship final, which Thibeault also won.

“We knew each other pretty well. It is difficult to fight with her. She is skilled. She’s a little rough,” Thibeault said. “I was a little disappointed with my performance today. I got the victory, but I could have boxed better.”

“I would have cleaned it up a little, used more straight shots, held less, worked inside a little more, been more tactically smart and not let it be so chaotic and so tight.”

The Canadian qualified for Paris with her semi-final victory the day before. The top two fighters in most weight classes in Santiago, Chile punched their tickets to Paris.

Thibeault will box for Canada at the Olympics for the second time, having reached the quarterfinals in Tokyo two years ago.

Her bronze medal at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, was upgraded to silver a year later due to a doping violation by an opponent.

Wyatt Sanford of Kennetcook, N.S., was scheduled to fight for Pan Am men’s light welterweight gold later Friday. He also qualified for Paris.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2023.