With the 2024 Olympic Games set to get underway in Paris on Friday, July 26, eight athletes make their final preparations for USA Boxing. Team USA will be represented by eight boxers, including four males and four females, after utilizing three opportunities to punch their tickets to Paris. The first opportunity was the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, in Santiago, Chile, in which five of the eight qualified boxers earned their Olympic Games spot.
Joshua Edwards (Houston, Texas), Jahmal Harvey (Oxon Hill, Md.), Jennifer Lozano (Laredo, Texas) and Morelle McCane (Cleveland, Ohio) punched their tickets with top-two finishes while Jajaira Gonzalez (Glendora, Calif.) earned her spot with a top-four finish.
Harvey is one of Team USA’s most dominant and complete boxers on the 2024 Olympic roster and proved that after becoming the first American male to win an elite world title since 2007. Harvey concluded his 2023 schedule with two gold medals to punch his ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games with a strong showing at the Pan American Games in Chile.
As for the females, Morelle McCane is one athlete to keep an eye out for. McCane dazzled onlookers with an impressive resume in 2023 when she brought home a gold and two silvers in her three international tournaments. McCane also etched her name in the history books for her city and became the fifth consecutive boxer, and first female, from Cleveland to qualify for an Olympic Games.
Omari Jones (Orlando, Fla.) was the only American to achieve his Olympic Dream in Busto Arsizio, Italy, at the first World Qualification Tournament. Jones placed among the top four in the 71 kg weight division and has been one of Team USA’s most consistent boxers on the international stage. He earned four medals in two years, including a silver medal at the 2021 Elite World Championships, which marked his international debut.
Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas) and Team USA rising star Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho) round out the elite eight American boxers who will compete in Paris. These two boxers earned their Olympic qualifications earlier this year at the final World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. Hill won gold at the 2022 AMBC Elite Championships and claimed bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games. As for Mendoza, she is the youngest boxer on the team at 20 years old. Mendoza dominated throughout her first year of international competition and brought home a medal in three international events in 2023.
Team USA boxers will learn their paths to gold on Thursday, July 25, with the competition draw. All news, schedules, results and more can be found here.