‘I Envisioned Myself on top of the Podium’ -Kristian Jubani Going for Olympic GOLD

Kristian Jubani fights for Olympic gold on Thursday.

The Crumlin teen prospect will contest the Youth Olympic 50kg final in Dakar. 

The 17-year-old guaranteed himself a silver with victory over Mexico’s top youth at the weight on Wednesday. 

The Dubliner, who scored a knockout win in the quarter-finals, forced two second-round standing counts in the semi-final and emerged 5-0 winner on a scoreline of 26:30; 26:30; 26:30; 26:30; 26:30.

“I was prepared for this. I’m ready for this. I trained hard for this, and I’m ready for my job. I feel as if I fight better with better opponents. So, as the fights go on, I fight better. And as the opponents get harder, we go harder, we go better,” he said after the semi-final win. 

“The final’s been on my mind for the past couple of months. I’ve envisioned myself in that final. I envisioned myself on top of the podium, and that’s what I came here to do. I’m one step closer to that.”

His opponent in the gold-medal bout will be India’s Ambekar Meetei Lairenlakpam. Like Jubani, Lairenlakpam arrived in the semi-finals after a referee-stoppage victory in the quarter-finals. The final will take place tomorrow, Thursday 12 November, when the boxing programme concludes with the medal bouts.

Kristian flies home with the team landing in T2, Dublin Airport, on Friday at 12:45 via Madrid.