Chelsey Heijnen has qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris. The 24-year-old boxer from Roosendaal qualified for the final of the Olympic qualifying tournament on Saturday. That’s enough for a ticket. In the semi-final of the class up to 60 kilograms she won convincingly against a Slovakian.
In recent years Chelsey has been all about qualifying for the Olympic Games. She got her first chance at the European Games last year in Krakow, but then she lost. There was a lot of pressure for the Roosendaal native this week at the qualifying tournament. A tough task, because she had to win four matches for the ticket. She impressed in the first three rounds and on Saturday she beat her Slovakian opponent 4-1.
Big disappointment
In Paris she goes on the hunt for medals of honor. Her best performance to date was a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup. A year later, she could not participate in the World Cup because the Netherlands boycotted the tournament. This was due to the fact that boxers from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate. Much to Chelsey’s disappointment, she said in the Omroep Brabant radio program De Zuidtribune: “Not only the prize money that I am missing out on, of course, but this also has consequences for my place in the world rankings.”
Another Brabander
There is a chance that Heijnen will meet a fellow provincial in Paris. Ossenaar Gradus Kraus won his first match in the qualifying tournament on Saturday and hopes to follow Chelsey’s example.
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