Cape Verde’s boxing sensation David Pina and Morocco’s world champion Khadija Mardi are Africa’s top hopes for medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Pina, after scoring an upset victory over Zambia’s Africa flyweight king Patrick Chinyemba, lost on points to Uzbekistan’s world champion Hasanboy Dusmatov in the flyweight semi-finals, securing a bronze medal for Africa.

Meanwhile, Khadija Mardi is set to battle Australia’s world silver medallist Catlin Parker, keeping hopes high for another African medal.

Pina, 28, has been in outstanding form this season. His journey to the Olympics began with an impressive performance at the first world qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy, where he defeated Spain’s world bronze medallist Martin Molina with a 3-2 victory. Despite not qualifying in Italy, he carried his form to Bangkok, Thailand, where he earned his Olympic ticket with a series of commanding performances.

Unafraid of the big names in his flyweight class in Paris, Pina remarked from Paris, “I believe we’re all on the same level; some of them are even afraid of fighting me.”

Reflecting on his victory over Spain’s Molina, he stated, “I’m so happy I won my first fight against a big name opponent whom many people thought would win easily. My coach Bruno Carvalho encouraged me between rounds, and I took charge to win the second round. The third was even, but I was more aggressive.”

Pina, a father of two children—Hellen, seven, and Miller, three—first made his mark in Cape Verde’s boxing circles in 2013 by winning the national light-flyweight title at just 17. A year later, he joined the national team and has since won the Cape Verde national title six times. He secured a bronze medal at the 2022 Africa Elite Championships in Maputo and currently resides in Portugal with his family, training under coach Bruno Carvalho.

“Africa is assured of two medals in the Paris Olympics following the semi-final qualifications of Pina and Algeria’s Imane Khelif, the first African female boxer to win an Olympic medal since women’s boxing debuted at the 2012 London Olympics. Khelif’s medal is Algeria’s first in 24 years, with the last won at the 2000 Sydney Games.

This marks the first time Africa has won more than one medal in boxing at the Olympics since Athens 2004. The continent’s highest medal tally in boxing was at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where boxers from Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, and Niger won seven medals.

David Pina (left) with his coach Bruno Carvalho, whom he credits as the architect of his success in the ring.