Boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics: Beaten in the final at Roland-Garros, Frenchman Billal Bennama wins the silver medal

Bennama n’a pas réussi à peser suffisamment dans cette finale. EPA – MIGUEL GUTIERREZ

Le boxeur français Billal Bennama s’est incliné en finale des -51 kg face à l'Ouzbek Hasanboy Dusmatov, jeudi 8 août à Roland-Garros, décrochant la médaille d’argent et portant le total à 54 pour l’équipe de France.

Bennama, 26, brings his third medal to French boxing, after the silver of Sofiane Oumiha (-63.5 kg) and the bronze of Djamili-Dini Aboudou Moindze (+92 kg). Dusmatov wins a second Olympic crown after a first title in Rio in 2016. 

Entering the ring at around 10:45 p.m., Bennama was greeted by a deafening Marseillaise and chants of "Billal, Billal" coming down from the stands at Roland-Garros. Pushed on by the 15,000 spectators on the famous Philippe-Chatrier court, the Frenchman proved mobile against Dusmatov's accelerations, without however being sharp enough.

Unanimously defeated

At the end of the three rounds, the Uzbek was declared the unanimous winner (5-0). When the judges' verdict was announced, the Toulouse native accepted the decision with a smile, three years after his disappointment at the Tokyo Games where he was eliminated as soon as he entered the competition.

Bennama was not the favourite against Dusmatov, who had already beaten him in the final of the 2023 World Championships. With his three medals over the entire competition, French boxing has atoned for the affront of zero points at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, without however equalling the harvest of six medals including two gold in Rio in 2016.