Syria's irrepressible aces shine against the odds

In the boxing ring, Ahmad Ghousoon claimed a hard-fought bronze in the — 80kg category, Syria's only medal in Hangzhou as of Friday afternoon.

He lost to Eumir Felix Marcial of the Philippines in the semifinals at Hangzhou Gymnasium on Wednesday, but simply making it that far was a truly remarkable achievement considering his lack of international bouts in recent years.

"We lack matchups against boxers from other countries. All the other countries were able to have shared training camps, except for Syria. No country would take us. But we are thankful because we are relying on our own expertise to fight," he said.

"We are doing our best here. Our team consists of only three players. Apart from me, one withdrew in the preliminary round and the other, my older brother Alaa, sustained an injury that prevented him from competing."

Path to Paris

Still massively ambitious despite the obstacles he faces, Ghousoon struggled to hide his disappointment about the semifinal result, especially considering the gold and silver medalists are guaranteed spots at next summer's Paris Olympics.

"I had my hopes up about winning this one. I had a strategy in mind, thoroughly planned with my coaches, where I was supposed to apply six movements while fighting my opponent. I managed to apply three or four of them, and everything was going well," said Ghousoon.

"But he (Felix Marcial) is a very good boxer. I'm thankful anyway. Hopefully, we will get another chance to get to the Olympics."

Ghousoon started boxing in 2007, with his father Hussein serving as his coach — just as he did for all his sons.

"I used to see my father Hussein Ghossoun training my brothers, and later I joined them. As we trained at home and outdoors, I was impressed by their movements, and I watched the progress of my brother Somar and his success, and this grew my desire to win and become a hero like him," Ahmad recalled.

Just as he has done throughout his career, dad Hussein was ringside in Hangzhou to support and encourage his son.

"My love for boxing made me who I am at a very young age. I started from nothing. There were no clubs for me to join at the time, so I started on the streets, fought since 1975, up until I retired in 1989, when I became a coach," said Hussein.

Both father and son were keen to pay special tribute to the local fans who cheered on Syria's medal bid at Hangzhou Gymnasium.

"We thank the people of China for cheering for us as we go every step of the way. We also really appreciate all the well wishes we've been receiving," said Ahmad.

"We are thankful to the people of China, who made us feel at home with their love and support," Hussein said.

With a strategic partnership between China and Syria established on Sept 22, the two nations are expecting closer ties and further bilateral cooperation in various sectors.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was also present at the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. This is Assad's second visit to China since he took office as president in 2000. His last trip to the country was in 2004.