According to a press release by AIBA, the new edition of the Belgrade Winner Tournament women’s semi-finals left all of the experts impressed and caused quite many surprises in Serbia. Chile’s ex Italian pugilist, Valentina Bustamante is the first ever woman from the South American country who bagged a title in a major international tournament as the Belgrade Winner.

Over 200 boxers attended the international tournament which also included 87 female athletes, in the Serbian capital. In total, 35 countries sent their teams and among them 24 contested in the women’s category the Belgrade Winner Tournament.

Bustamante won mostly silver medals in the Italian National Championships and the brilliant pugilist decided to come to Chile. Once again, she played for her new country in the Belgrade Winner Tournament and exceeded all of the previous expectations and triumphed in all of her four games.

Bustamante took on Greece’s Nikoleta Pita in the final. She became the first ever woman boxer from Chile to clinch a top international tournament.

“I don’t have any words to express after this fantastic gold medal. I just want to say thanks to all the people who helped me to prepare, and also to my sponsors who believed in me and allowed me to compete here. Thanks to my coach Fabio Paragnani who was at my corner, and he was always confident, and this is also his success,” said Bustamante after her final contest. 

Besides, Tunisia’s Khouloud Hlimi defeated the Russian favorite Liudmilla Vorontsova at the featherweight (57kg) and picked a gold.

Russia dominated the heaviest weight categories as they sent 14 female boxers to the tournament and 3 among them succeeded in the finals. Zenfira Magomedalieva defeated Uzbekistan’s Mavluda Mavlonova in the final of the middleweight (75kg)

Anna Ivanova defeated her National Champion rival, Dulma Lumbunova at the light heavyweight (81kg) which was also a selection contest among them. Kristina Tkacheva beat her Uzbek and Czech rivals in the heaviest weight category. 

List of the women’s gold medallist in the Belgrade Winner Tournament

48 kg: Rim Bennama, France

51 kg: Nina Radovanovic, Serbia

54 kg: Jelena Zekic, Serbia

57 kg: Khouloud Hlimi, Tunisia

60 kg: Valentina Bustamante, Chile

64 kg: Sara Kos, Croatia

69 kg: Rosie Eccles, Wales

75 kg: Zenfira Magomedalieva, Russia

81 kg: Anna Ivanova, Russia

+81 kg: Kristina Tkacheva, Russia