Ukrainian boxer Khyzhniak brings third Olympic gold to Ukraine
Photo: Oleksandr Khyzhniak exchanged his silver medal for Olympic gold (Getty Images)
Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak won the final of the Olympic competition against Kazakh Nurbek Oralbay.
The 29-year-old Ukrainian started the match more aggressively. He took control of the center of the ring and boldly went on the offensive.
However, Oralbay defended well and occasionally responded effectively with his own attacks. Almost every time Khyzhniak launched an attack, the Kazakh boxer tried to counter it. As a result, at the end of the first round, three out of five judges gave the advantage to the Ukrainian representative.
In the second round, the pace slowed down slightly. Oralbay primarily tried to reduce the intensity. However, towards the end of the three minutes, the Kazakh increased his activity and landed three consecutive punches to Khyzhniak's head in one of his attacks. The judges this time awarded the round to Oralbay.
Khyzhniak started attacking from the beginning of the 3rd round. Throughout the round, Khyzhniak dominated the ring, shook his opponent several times with punches from both hands and nearly knocked out the Kazakh boxer in the final seconds. As a result, the judges awarded the victory to the Ukrainian sportsman.
The Khyzhniak earned his second Olympic medal in his career. At the 2020 Games, he lost in the final and settled for a silver medal. He became the fourth Ukrainian Olympic champion in history, following Volodymyr Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko (twice), and Oleksandr Usyk.
