Panama overcame the defeat of boxer Atheyna Bylon in Paris 2024 and proudly celebrated the first Olympic medal ever won by a Panamanian woman, a silver achieved in a sport that has produced over thirty world champions for the country. Bylon, a police officer, lost to China’s Li Qian by split decision (4-1) in the heavyweight final (-75 kg). “You have given us great national pride. Panama united and celebrating!!” wrote Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on X.
Hundreds of people, waving national flags, watched the fight at Urracá Park, in front of the capital’s bay, where the mayor’s office installed a giant screen. Hundreds more gathered in other cities, and the entire country followed the match on television. “I feel great joy because Atheyna’s medal shows that when a woman empowers herself, she can achieve whatever goals she sets,” said Silvia Mela, a 52-year-old police officer who attended the park wearing a T-shirt with the boxer’s image.
Until now, Panama had won one gold medal in the Olympic Games, earned by long jumper Irving Saladino in Beijing 2008, and two bronzes by Lloyd LaBeach in the 100 and 200 meters in London 1948. Now, the country has a silver. The most prominent figure in Panamanian boxing, Roberto “Hands of Stone” Durán, a world champion in multiple categories—including the lightweight division, which he won 12 times—watched the fight at the Police headquarters, where hundreds of officers supported their boxer.
Hands of Stone Durán at the Olympics
“For a Panamanian woman to win a silver medal in boxing is extremely important. To us, Atheyna is like a Roberto Durán in the Olympics. She’s the only one who has gone this far,” said Rubiel Martínez, a 26-year-old financier who attended the capital park with his wife and baby.
Bylon, 35, comes from a humble background, like most Panamanian boxers, raised in neighborhoods plagued by poverty and violence. The Panamanian Olympic silver medalist grew up in San Miguelito, a populous district adjacent to Panama City, with her sister, grandmother, and mother, to whom she dedicates her victories.
As a police officer, she began practicing boxing at the age of 25 after seeing a TV ad. Less than four years later, she qualified for her first Olympic Games, Rio 2016, where she finished ninth.
In Tokyo 2020, Bylon reached fifth place, adding to a resume that includes a youth world championship and a silver medal in the last Pan American Games. Bylon’s silver medal is a boost for Panamanian boxing, which has produced over thirty world champions but had never reached such heights in the Olympic Games before.
