Team Uganda will wait until Paris 2024 for a boxing medal at the Olympics after a botched attempt at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The East African nation’s three representatives in Japan all bowed out with Bombers’ captain Shadir Musa Bwogi going furthest, to the last 16 stage of the men’s welterweight.
And he was lucky after receiving a bye at the last 32 before he lost to Georgian Eskerkhan Madiev via split decision at the Kokugikan Arena on Tuesday.
Bwogi was cornered several times by the vastly experienced Madiev but the Naguru-bred fighter still managed to land a few punches, heavy in fact.
However, Madiev appeared technically better, stinging as often with his blue gloves. Bwogi has deducted a point in the second round for persistently keeping his head down.
And that further proved detrimental who had trailed 4-1 according to the judges after the opening three minutes of the bout.
Bwogi, who had qualified directly to Tokyo, clearly lacked match practice, just like his counterparts middleweight David Ssemuju and Catherine Nanziri, all who hadn’t punched in more than a year due to Covid-19.
Despite fashioning better in the second round, Ssemuju lost 5-0 to familiar foe Algerian Younes Nemouchi on Monday while Nanziri, Uganda’s first female boxer in an Olympics ring, surrendered 5-0 too to homegirl Tsukimi Namiki in the flyweight last 32.
Uganda, which boasts of four boxing medals at the Olympics, has now not won about at the Games in 17 years.
Sam Rukundo is the last one to taste victory when he powered past Puerto Rican Alexander de Jesús at the last 16 stages during the Athens 2004 Games.
In Paris, it will be two decades since a Ugandan ever lifted a hand for victory in Olympics’ boxing.
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS
BOXING RESULTS
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT LAST 32
Tsukimi Namiki (JPN) bt. Catherine Nanziri (UGA) 5-0
(30-27, 30-27, 30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
MEN’S MIDDLEWEIGHT LAST 32
Younes Nemouchi (ALG) bt. David Ssemuju (UGA) 5-0
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
MEN’S WELTERWEIGHT LAST 16
Eskerkhan Madiev (GEO) bt. Musa Bwogi (UGA) 3-1
(27-29, 28-28, 30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
UGANDA’S BOXING MEDALS AT OLYMPICS
1968 Mexico City: Eridadi Mukwanga (Bantamweight Silver)
1968 Mexico City: Leo Rwabwogo (Flyweight Bronze)
1972 Munich: Leo Rwabwogo (Flyweight Silver)
1980 Moscow: John Mugabi (Welterweight Silver)
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This writer is a global broadcaster and as well, a scribe with Daily Monitor Newspaper and sports presenter with Radio One FM 90 in Kampala. Follow him on Twitter: @AllanDarren and his Facebook Page: Darren Allan Kyeyune