By Jake Donovan
Zou Shiming of China has earned his second consecutive Olympic Gold medal, scoring a win over Thailand’s Kaeo Pongprayoon in Saturday’s light flyweight finals.
The pairing was the proverbial David versus Goliath tale. Pongprayoon bumped off two highly rated contenders in successive fights to make it to the final round, a run that made him a crowd favorite. Shiming was the defending world amateur champion from last year’s competition in Baku and also four years from running the tables in the 2008 Beijing Games.
As has been the case throughout the tournament, Pongprayoon didn’t just embrace the role of underdog but wore it as a cloak of honor. His heroic tale was well received by the London crowd, who cheered his every move as if he were representing Great Britain.
Shiming was forced into the role of the villain in this fight, as evidenced whenever scores were read after each round. Shiming enjoyed a slight lead after every round and perhaps even deservedly so. But it was Pongprayoon carrying the action and dictating the pace throughout, and also bringing the packed ExCel Arena in London to its feet.
A glimmer of hope for an upset came towards the tail end of an ugly third and final round. A series of roughhouse tactics from both fighters went unpunished for the most part, until a full-blown tackle from Shiming earned him a public warning, which added two points to Pongprayoon’s scorecard.
The infraction set the stage for the improbable, only for Pongprayoon’s hopes to be dashed at the very end. A questionable foul and public warning issued to the Thai boxer all but sealed his fate. His corner wasn’t buying it and neither was the raucous crowd on hand, the fans allowing their collective voices to be heard.
A similar reaction broke out once the final verdict was announced. Shiming drowned out the boos, thrusting his arms in celebration before racing around the ring bearing the flag of the Republic of China draped over his shoulder.
Good sportsmanship was exuded in the end, even if it took Pongprayoon a moment or two to gather his composure. The underdog was on his knees in disbelief over the verdict, but assisted to his feet by his conqueror as the two embraced in celebration of a fitting finale.
The final moments of the light flyweight aftermath saw the Thai corner raise its fighters arm in victory, eliciting one more round of applause for the Silver medalist. Shiming left the ring all smiles, knowing he survived a far tougher field in this year’s competition to remain its king.
Light Flyweight Finals (Saturday, August 11)
Zou Shiming (China) def. Kaeo Pongprayoon (Thailand), 13-10
* Shiming wins Gold; Pongprayoon takes Silver
Light Flyweight Semifinals (Medal Round - Friday, August 10):
Zou Shiming (China) def. Paddy Barnes (Ireland), 15-15 (countback)
Kaeo Pongprayoon (Thailand) def. David Aryapetyan (Russia), 13-12
* Barnes and Aryepetyan share Bronze medal honors
Light Flyweight Quarterfinals (Wednesday, August 8)
Zou Shiming (China) vs. Birzhan Zhakypov (Kazakhstan), 13-10
Paddy Barnes (Ireland) def. Devendro Singh (India), 23-18
David Aryapetyan (Russia) def. Ferhat Pehlivan (Turkey), 19-11
Kaeo Pongprayoon (Thailand) def. Aleksander Aleksandrov (Bulgaria), 16-10
Round of 16 Results (Saturday, August 4):
Shiming Zou (China) def. Yosbany Veitia (Cuba), 14-11
Birzhan Zhakypov (Kazakhstan) def. Mark Barriga (Philippines), 17-16
Paddy Barnes (Ireland) def. Thomas Essomaba (Cameroon), 15-10
Devendro Singh (India) def. Purevdorjiin Serdamba (Mongolia), 16-11
David Ayrapetyan (Russia) def. Jantony Ortiz (Puerto Rico), 15-13
Ferhat Pehlivan (Turkey) def. Ramy El Awadi (Egypt), 20-6
Kaeo Pongprayoon (Thailand) def. Carlos Quipo (Ecuador), 10-6
Aleksander Aleksandrov (Bulgaria) def. Jong-Hun Shin (South Korea), 15-14
Light Flyweight - Round of 32 Results (Tuesday, July 31):
Yosbany Veitia (Cuba) def. Billy Ward (Australia), 26-4
Mark Barriga (Philippines) def. Manuel Cappai (Italy), 17-7
Birzhan Zhakypov (Kazakhstan) def. Jeremy Beccu (France), 18-17
Thomas Essomaba (Cameroon) def. Abdelali Daraa (Morocco), 13-10
Devendro Singh (India) def. Bayron Molina (Honduras), RSC-1 (2:24)
Jantony Ortiz (Puerto Rico) vs. Tetteh Sulemanu (Ghana), 20-6
Ferhat Pehlivan (Turkey) def. Carlos Suarez (Trinidad & Tobago), 16-6
Carlos Quipo (Ecuador) def. Jose Kelvin de la Nieve (Spain) , 14-11
Kaeo Pongprayoon (Thailand) def. Mohamed Flissi (Algeria), 19-11
Aleksandr Aleksandrov (Bulgaria) def. Juliano Maquina (Mozambique), 22-7
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
