Uzbekistan’s boxer Abdumalik Khalokov capped off his 2024 Paris Olympics run with gold in the men’s 57kg on Saturday. He defeated Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu from Kyrgyzstan on points, 5-0, leaving him to collect the silver and Charlie Senior of Australia alongside Javier Ibanez Diaz from Bulgaria with bronze in the semifinals. However, new reports reveal Khalokov has won much more than that, thanks to his country. 

Well, he is not the only one bringing home gold in boxing from the Paris games. His compatriots Bakhodir Jalolov, Hasanboy Dusmatov, Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev, and Lazizbek Mullojonov also won gold earlier this month. Meaning, Uzbekistan dominated the competition, securing gold in five out of seven men’s boxing categories in Paris this year.

To top it all off, Uzbekistan has won eight total gold medals across every sport this year, which is double their previous record of four during the Rio Olympics. Don’t forget, they also won two silver and three bronze medals overall, bringing the tally up to 13. Fast forward to today, a tweet from Jalol Akhmedov🇺🇿, a sports writer from SPORTS.uz, suggests the country is awarding the medal winners with huge cash prizes, homes, and more.

In his tweet, Akhmedov🇺🇿 wrote, “Olympics games medalists are welcomed and awarded by the President in Uzbekistan”. Meanwhile, Gold medal winners, meaning the five boxers, including Khalokov, will get $200K, a new 2-floor house, and a Chevrolet Tahoe car. Similarly, Silver medal winners will get $100k, a new apartment, and a BYD Song Champion car. And, of course, bronze medal winners will get $50k, a new apartment, and a BYD Song Champion car.

However, these prizes and rewards didn’t come easy. The boxing coach for the team nearly lost his life during the 2024 Paris Games. Here’s how he survived.

Uzbekistan boxing coach saved by Team GB medics

Uzbekistan boxing coach Tulkin Kilichev was saved by Team GB medics after collapsing from cardiac arrest during celebrations at Roland Garros on August 8. Kilichev was celebrating Uzbek boxer Hasanboy Dusmatov’s gold medal win when he suddenly went into cardiac arrest. Team GB physiotherapist Robbie Lillis told PA News Agency, “There was a cry for a doctor, for help.”  Lillis and Dr. Harj Singh swiftly responded, with Singh performing CPR while Lillis used a defibrillator. 

Lillis described the tense moments, stating, “Initially he didn’t come back but, about 20 to 30 seconds later, after Harj continued doing CPR, all of a sudden he came back conscious with us.” The venue’s medical team arrived shortly after, and Kilichev was taken to the hospital, where he recovered. Lillis expressed relief and hope, stating, “I’m very, very thankful that we did have all the equipment on us and that we were trained.”

It appears, that despite a serious health scare faced by their boxing coach during the 2024 Paris Olympics, the team managed to bring home several medals. This achievement proved to be highly beneficial for the athletes, as the country rewarded them generously for their efforts in bringing honor to the nation. Do you think the rewards were good enough, or they should have given more?