Excitement growing for Nova Scotia’s Olympic boxer

HALIFAX – Hundreds of group successful a agrarian area of Nova Scotia are expected to stitchery successful a shot section Sunday to watch connected a large surface arsenic their neighbour, boxer Wyatt Sanford, competes for an Olympic medal.

Regardless of nan outcome, location will beryllium an epic celebration.

The 25-year-old jock from nan colony of Kennetcook, N.S., is assured of winning a badge arsenic nan semifinals begin. Under Olympic rules, nan 2 boxers who suffer astatine this shape each return location a bronze medal.

As a result, Sanford is judge to triumph Canada’s first Olympic badge successful boxing since David Defiagbon’s heavyweight metallic successful Atlanta successful 1996.

“The full organization is truthful excited astir this, and truthful proud of Wyatt and what he’s done,” said Eleanor Roulston, prison guard of nan Municipality of East Hants, which includes Kennetcook — organization 150. The village, astir an hour’s thrust northbound of Halifax, is not acold from nan eastbound separator of nan Bay of Fundy.

Roulston says a large crowd was connected manus astatine Kenetcook’s Findley Park connected Thursday erstwhile Sanford precocious to nan semifinals successful nan men’s 63.5-kilogram class by defeating Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Abdullaev astatine North Paris Arena.

She says residents shouted truthful loudly, she’s judge they could beryllium heard successful France.

“There were a batch of group pinch tears successful their eyes,” Roulston said successful an interview. “The temper was electric.”

After Sanford won nan fight, he released a connection saying, “Kennetcook wants nan golden and I want to springiness it to them.” But he’ll person to triumph connected Sunday to get nan opportunity to present connected that pledge.

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Sanford, who goes by nan nickname “Sandman” but has besides been dubbed “The Kennetcook Kid,” is mounting a bully illustration for young group successful nan area, Roulston added.

“It shows that personification pinch nan talent, nan thrust and nan activity ethic tin execute large things,” she said. “It intends that a man from agrarian East Hants tin dream nan large dream and tin put successful nan activity that’s required. It opens nan eyes of young group to much possibilities.”

Sanford and Montreal’s Tammara Thibeault, who competed successful nan women’s 75-kg section but was eliminated aft her first bout, are nan only Canadian boxers successful Paris.

Sanford started boxing erstwhile he was 10 years old. He won golden past twelvemonth astatine nan Pan American Games successful Santiago, Chile, and he besides competed astatine nan Tokyo Olympics successful 2021.

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.