On this day: Zou Shiming wins China’s first Olympic boxing gold at Beijing 2008 Games
- Boxer made history and would go on to win gold again at London 2012, where final decision was booed by the crowd
- Professional world title would follow before shock defeat to Sho Kumura in 2017 ends pioneer’s career
It came not with a bang but a whimper. Mongolia’s Purevdorjiin Serdamba injured his shoulder at the tail end of the second round and could not fight on.
That meant China had won its 50th and final gold medal of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, on the last day no less, and its first ever boxing gold.
It came as a shock to Zou. “When the result was announced I just didn’t expect it to be settled in that way,” he told the Financial Times in 2012 as the London Games loomed.
“I had always thought that the final rounds would be close and the fight would be intense. Then all of a sudden I was an Olympic champion,” he recalls. “In interviews after the match I was sputtering and could hardly tell which way was up.”
The pressure had been on, with Chinese television mentioning that he could be the country’s 50th gold. He had not slept the night before the final but napped after breakfast.
