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August 23, 2016

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France hails golden couple as Yoka wins

Source: Agencies | August 23, 2016, Tuesday | Print Edition

FRANCE hailed a golden couple after Tony Yoka saw off Britain’s Joe Joyce on Sunday to add the men’s Olympic super-heavyweight title to the women’s lightweight gold won by girlfriend Estelle Mossely.

With Mossely cheering and crying in equal measure, Yoka boxed clever against a relentless opponent to win the battle of the big men on a 2-1 split decision and become the first Frenchman to win gold in the heaviest division.

Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic and Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko took the bronze medals as losing semifinalists.

Yoka, the world champion who fought with pain in an ankle that he had twisted in the semifinals, summed up his emotions simply afterwards: “Magnifique”.

His partner, who won her gold on Friday, had more to say: “I knew he was hurt but he held on... I’m on a cloud. I cried for him, he showed his qualities. We are both Olympic champions, you can’t get any higher.

“Now we are going to party. We won’t be sleeping for a long time,” added France’s first female champion.

“It’s incredible, this story,” Yoka added.

“We dreamed about competing in the Olympics as a couple. And we dreamed about winning medals, or even gold medals. And now we’ve done it. Incredible.”

Yoka revealed he’d received a simple instruction before the bout from Mossely. “Estelle just said: ‘I’ve done my job, you do yours’. It was my turn. I couldn’t fail,” the 24-year-old said.

The Parisian’s gold was the last of the boxing tournament.

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