(JULY 21) COLORADO SPRINGS,
COLO. - The United States Boxing Team has arrived safely
in Rio de Janeiro in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games. The
eight qualified athletes and their coaching and support staff
touched down at Galeao International Airport in Rio de Janeiro
at approximately 12:30 p.m. local time today (July 20) after
departing at approximately 3:30 p.m. MT from Colorado Springs on
Tuesday.
The U.S. squad will now complete
their Olympic preparations in a final acclimation camp on the
ground in Rio de Janeiro before the start of competition on
August 6 at the Riocentro Pavilion. Prior to their departure on
Tuesday, the squad wrapped up their domestic training camp on
Monday morning at the Olympic Training Center before a special
celebration at the facility's newly renovated Visitors Center.
Hundreds of fans lined up to meet the athletes, wish them luck
at the Olympic Games and grab an autograph or snap a photo with
their favorite Olympic boxer.
Prior to their send-off on Monday
evening, the U.S. team received a special package of clothing
and shoes as well as their competition gear from USA Boxing
apparel sponsor Under Armour. The team spent Tuesday morning
packing up and departed the Olympic Training Center for the
airport at approximately 1:40 p.m., on Tuesday.
2012 Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) and
Women's Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.) are
both heading back to the craziness of the Olympic Games, having
experienced the world's biggest sporting event previously.
Shields won gold in the Olympic debut of women's boxing in
London and Walsh competed in the 1988 Olympic Games for his
native Ireland and has previously worked the Olympic Games as
member of the Irish coaching staff.
Male light flyweight Nico Hernandez (Wichita, Kansas), male
flyweight Antonio Vargas (Kissimmee, Fla.), male bantamweight
Shakur Stevenson (Newark, N.J.), female lightweight Mikaela
Mayer (Los Angeles, Calif.), male lightweight Carlos Balderas
(Santa Maria, Calif.), male light welterweight Gary Antuanne
Russell (Capitol Heights, Md.) and male middleweight Charles
Conwell (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) are all competing in their
first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Support coaches Joe Guzman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Israel
Acosta (Milwaukee, Wis.) are heading back to familiar territory
at the Olympics. Guzman joined the U.S. squad as a training
partners coach at the 2012 Olympics and Acosta was a member of
the 2000 U.S. Olympic Coaching Staff. USA Boxing High
Performance Director Matthew Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
has joined the squad as Team Manager and athletic trainer Dana
Johnston (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Dr. Robert Nielson
(Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) will help keep the athletes healthy
during their time in Brazil.
Olympic boxing competition will run from August 6 - August 21 at
the Riocentro Pavilion 6. For a full schedule of Olympic boxing
competition by day and weight class click here. A full list of
U.S. athletes by the abbreviation as noted on the online
schedule (kilograms) is below.
W 60 - Mikaela Mayer
W 75 - Claressa Shields
M 49 - Nico Hernandez
M 52 - Antonio Vargas
M 56 - Shakur Stevenson
M 60 - Carlos Balderas
M 64 - Gary Antuanne Russell
M 75 - Charles Conwell