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Local coach, past Olympian talks Rio games

Yesterday was officially the first day of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Galesburg resident and longtime boxer and boxing coach Carlos Duncan has had Olympic success of his own. 

As a coach, he prepared athletes for the 2008 games in Beijing, China and in 1996, he went with team USA to coach in the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Duncan tells WGIL it was the experience of a lifetime, especially getting to the podium. 

“It’s like walking on a cloud,” Duncan says. 

This year, one sport that has major changes is men’s and women’s boxing. 

Duncan says for the first time, “professional boxers” will fight in the international ring. 

Boxing officials changed the rules so that male competitors will no longer be required to wear headgear and the minimum age to fight was raised from 17 to 19. Both decisions, Duncan doesn’t agree with.

“Seventeen is a good age,” Duncan says. “Most of the ones who would be going to the Olympics have probably 100 or 200 amateur bouts so they know what they’re doing. They are almost doing this to sell tickets.”

Duncan adds that professionals hit harder and have drastically different rules. Regardless, he anticipates team USA having some success in Brazil, especially London gold medal winner Claressa Shields and Olympic newcomer Mikaela Meyer.

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