no medal
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Abdul-Jabbar is the best German boxer in the Fifth Olympiad
Ammar Riad Abdul-Jabbar (in blue) lost a medal.
Photo: AP/Frank Franklin II
like Ammar Riad Abdul-Jabbar tried everything, but in the end the boxer from Hamburg had no chance against the world and European champions. Due to the defeat at the Olympics, the Boxing Association narrowly missed the medal, but is already hoping for the 2024 Games.
With the fifth place for heavyweight boxer Ammar Riyad Abdul-Jabbar from Hamburg as the best result, the German boxers were bid farewell to the Olympic Games. In the weight category up to 91 kg, the 25-year-old lost to Muslim world and European champion Gadshimagomido of the Russian Olympic Committee in the quarter-finals on Friday. Had they made it to the semi-finals, a bronze would have been safe.
“I succeeded here, no one would have believed it two years ago and I am very proud of myself,” said the Hamburg-based German news agency, which immigrated to Germany from Iraq. “I made it to the quarter-finals. This is a great achievement. I wanted more, but it didn’t work out.”
Of the three Germans, only Abdul-Jabbar managed to win his first fight. Boxer Hamsat Shadaloff was eliminated from the featherweight in the first round after a tight 2:3, as Nadine Abtz had to admit defeat 2:3 in the welterweight division. “A lot of respect for the three athletes, we’ve done an excellent job here,” said Boxing Association Athletic Director Michael Muller.
For the Olympics in Paris three years later, Muller sees “the best opportunities”. In Rio, the German Boxing Association (DBV) booked a medal four years ago. Artem Harutyunyan won the bronze medal in the lightweight welterweight by entering the semi-finals.
In all likelihood, the neuroscientist Abtz in Paris will not rival. The 35-year-old now wants to focus on her PhD and boxing as a hobby. Abdul-Jabbar sees his future in the professional field. “That’s my goal now. After the obvious 0:5 against Gadschimagomedow, I’m someone who can make ends meet, I can fight, I’m a warrior,” he said. “If there were more rolls, I think I would be able to fight better. Three laps is not enough to show yourself.”
Muller considers Abdul-Jabbar’s start in France in three years, but despite the intentions are not excluded. “Anything is possible in between. The bottom line is that people come back when Paris presents a good opportunity. And Olympic medals are really tempting.” “We don’t necessarily need him to box with us all the time. The deciding factor is whether he can imagine being there again in time when it comes to the Olympic medals in Paris.”
