‘I was actually scared’: Im Ae-ji overcomes fear to secure boxing bronze

South Korea’s Im Ae-ji (right) lands a punch to the face of Colombia's Yeni Arias during the women's 54-kilogram quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics, Thursday. (Yonhap)

Im Ae-ji secured a thrilling 3-2 split decision victory against Yeni Arias of Colombia in the women's 54-kilogram quarterfinal bout at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday night in the French capital.

This achievement means South Korea will have its first Olympic boxing medal in 12 years, following the London Games where silver was won by Han Soon-chul, who is on hand at the Paris Games as Im's coach. As there is no match for third place in boxing, getting to the semifinals guarantees at least one of two bronze medals.

After the match, Im's face beamed with joy. Donning Olympic ring-shaped sunglasses, she expressed her elation, saying, "I'm really happy that I could contribute to the development of boxing in our country."

However, she also confessed, "I was scared." The reason for her fear was Arias' aggressive fighting style. As a southpaw and an out-boxer, Im tried to maintain distance with her footwork, but Arias, a classic infighter, kept closing in with an unrelenting bevy of punches.

"She's a naturally powerful fighter," Im commented on her opponent. "We devised several strategies, but I approached the match with the mindset that I needed to focus even more."

Im’s journey to glory has not been without its hurdles. She made history by becoming the first Korean to win the Youth World Championships in 2017, but she faced early exits at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Her next opponent is Hatice Akbas of Turkey. Reflecting on her progress, Im said, "My coaches told me that if I win just one more match, I'll secure a medal. But I told them I'm aiming to win three times for the gold medal." She will face Akbas in the semifinals on Sunday, in a match that begins at 11:34 p.m. Korean time.

By Shin Ji-hye(shinjh@heraldcorp.com)