Mali boxers secure four finals places at AES Games

Mali are guaranteed four boxing medals at the second Alliance of Sahel States Games after each of their four identified competitors reached the final. The result gives the national team a strong chance of adding several gold medals when the tournament concludes.

Mamadou Keïta advanced in the 57kg category, Alou Sacko in the 60kg division, Fousseyni Traoré at 67kg and Hamidou Konaté at 75kg. A fifth Malian boxer is also listed as having taken part, but the available details do not identify the athlete. The four finalists have already secured medals for Mali regardless of Tuesday’s results.

The boxing finals will be held on Tuesday at the martial arts hall of Burkina Faso’s National Olympic and Sports Committee in Ouagadougou. Mahamadou Draba, president of the Malian Boxing Federation, praised the team’s performance and said he was confident about the final stage. Mali’s progress in boxing contrasts with its early record in wrestling, where the delegation recorded one victory from 13 bouts on Friday. Seydou Mounkoro supplied that win in the 86kg category, while Niger led the wrestling standings with eight victories, ahead of Burkina Faso on four.