Not every athlete destined to win Olympic medal - head coach of Kazakh national boxing team

"Birzhan's performance during today's fight was very disappointing. I didn't expect it to be this way. Because Birzhan had a chance to win the fight, he is fitter and more experienced than his opponent. But it happens in boxing very often. This is the third Olympics Games for Birzhan and he had a goal to win a medal. Unfortunately, he just burnt out. He couldn't pull himself together," Aitzhanov told Kazinform correspondent.

"This is a big disappointment for someone to be in the third consecutive Olympics and loose in the quarterfinal," Aitzhanov added. "Not every athlete is destined to get an Olympic medal. There are many similar cases in the history of sports and boxing."

"Birzhan's loss won't break us down. We have other athletes. We will train hard for the upcoming fights," he vowed.

Aitzhanov praised another Kazakhstani boxer Vassiliy Levit who also had a fight on August 10: "He [Levit} snatched the initiative from the very beginning of the fight. He owned that ring. He wasn't scared and dominated throughout the fight."

Recall that Birzhan Zhakipov sadly lost to the Uzbek boxer in Men's Light Fly weight category in the quarterfinal of the Rio Olympics. As for Vassiliy Levit, he confidently defeated Kennedy St Pierre from Mauritius in Men's Heavy (91kg) quarterfinal.