Adinan eager to make the most of Olympic qualifiers
Determined. Yasin Adinan and the Bombers in a shadow boxing session at Luzira Prison. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA.
“Taking part in Olympics has always been my dream. The chance is here and am ready to do my best,” said lightweight boxer Adinan Yasin after edging his fellow southpaw Joshua Tukamuhebwa at national boxing trials by split decision, to book the ticket to Dakar, Senegal for Olympic qualifiers.
Adinan repeated the same words last week as the team was being flagged off for the competition.
And today evening the self-proclaimed Black Panther will start his Olympics expedition against Ethiopian Alem Gebremariam Abrham, a silver medalist at the Africa Youth Games in 2018 in Algeria.
This is Adinan’s first major international assignment, but the hard puncher with a lion’s heart, is one of Uganda’s hopes in Dakar.
“I do not fear any fighter. I want to qualify for Olympics and turn professional. So I have to work hard in the ring to achieve my dreams,” he said.
Adinan beat upset Atanus Mugerwa in bantamweight at the 2016 National Open semis before losing the final to Rogers Ssemitala and missed the 2016 National Olympic trials.
Last year he lost the trials for the Africa Games to Tukamuhebwa and missed the trip to Rabat.
Meanwhile, middleweight top seed David Ssemuju got a bye to the next round, and awaiting the winner between Kenya’s 2016 Olympian Rayton Okwiri and Libya’s Emhemed Salem Elmagasbi yesterday.
In the women’s flyweight quarterfinal, Catherine Nanziri must be at her best to eliminate Senegal’s Khadidja Timera, lauded among those to watch. Both got byes to the last eight in the Wednesday draw.
