Salmon Arm boxers Jordyn Konrad and Dominic Barbosa made the trip to the 2018 Super Channel Championships in Edmonton with Team B.C. from March 28 - April 1, marking the second year in a row a local boxer has brought home a medal from the national event.
This year was Jordyn Konrad’s first time competing at the national level. Coming off a gold-medal finish at the B.C. boxing provincials, Konrad went into the national championships as a contender for the title and took home a silver medal in the women’s featherweight division.
After finishing her first fight against Jessica Sparrow of Team Alberta with a unanimous vote of victory by the judges on March 28, Konrad went on to face Kathryn Yeomans of the New Brunswick provincial team on March 30. This second victory, again by unanimous decision from the judges, put her in the running for the championship title.
Konrad’s final bout of the championships took place on March 31 against Tania Walters of Team Ontario, the deciding match of the national tournament for the women’s featherweight class. Though Konrad managed a pair of victories by unanimous decision throughout the championships, the bout with Walters proved to be a tough fight. By the end it was up to the judges to decide the victor and the title was awarded to Walters of Team Ontario by a vote of 4-1.
As a result, Konrad returned to Salmon Arm with the silver medal. A phenomenal finish for her first competition at the national level, and further proof that she is a contender for the title spot.
In the men’s competition, Dominic Barbosa of Salmon Arm, who claimed the top spot in the light-welterweight division at the 2017 nationals, did not fare as well in 2018. He fell in his first bout of the tournament against Nathan Bell of Team Manitoba, knocking him out of the running for a second shot at the national title.
This was Barbosa’s first year in the 17-18 age group, pitting him against some tough competition as he moved up the ranks from the U16 category. Coach Peggy Maerz said this year would likely be a struggle for Barbosa, being in the younger end of his age bracket.
“He’s the youngest in his age category,” she said. “The muscle maturity in that one year doesn’t seem like it would be a lot, but it is in young males. The first years’ are going to find this a struggle. This is a year where this will be their real test as young men, they either quit or dig in and go further.”
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jodi.brak@saobserver.net
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