Now 21 and a two-time Olympian champion, Shields wanted to make sure the world knew she had done something historic – becoming the first USA boxer, man or woman, to win two Olympic gold medals.
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After American Claressa Shields, then 17, won the women’s middleweight Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Games, her goal was to repeat.
“Oh my God, I feel like I’m dreaming right now, somebody pinch me, oh my God”, Shields said after the fight, according to the Olympic News Service”.
And though she had said all along that there was no “if” in her pursuit of a second Olympic gold – victory was certain, she vowed – all she could say in the immediate aftermath was repeat over and over, “I can’t believe it!”
Brazilian Robson Conceicao, who drew the biggest crowd of any boxer in Rio when he won the lightweight gold, said his life had changed forever.
Claressa Shields made history on Sunday as the first American boxer, male or female, to take home two gold medals. Fontijn is taller, but Shields was faster and stronger. But Fontijn showed herself to be elusive, bobbing out of the way of some of Shields’ most unsafe blows.
The American started to find her range in the second round, connecting with a stinging left hook to the jaw early followed by a one-two combination upstairs.
Shields only had to avoid trouble in the fourth and final round – and did that comfortably to retain her title. In one exchange, Fontijn landed both a left jab and a solid right to Shields’ head.
The second round saw the boxers switch roles at times. That has changed, she said.
It was another hugely impressive display of aggressive boxing from Shields, who also displayed a speed and agility that made her a hard target for the powerful Fontijn.
The crowd, loud and rowdy, enjoyed this bout, particularly when both boxers showed a willingness to stand almost toe-to-toe and trade punches.
With the medal hers, Shields raised her arms toward her friends and family in the stands after the third round.
Shields had all the answers as she breezed through three unanimous decision victories in the tournament.
Shields celebrated the announcement with a cartwheel in the ring before running around the arena with the American flag.
France’s Tony Victor James Yoka celebrates after he won the gold medal for the men’s super heavyweight over 91-kg boxing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016. The move was to simplify her life, trying to avoid the distractions in Flint, Mich.
“I had decided this morning: She can’t out-box me, she can’t out-fight me, she can’t out-think me, so how’s she going to win?” With a one-inch height advantage over the 5-foot-10 Shields, the Dutchwoman was able to connect occasionally, but she couldn’t match the champ.
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“After I won a gold medal [in 2012] and I got home, my gold medal didn’t really mean a lot to the media and, I guess, to the boxing world either”, Shields explained afterward. I have a sister who can maybe get shot. I can’t hear that anymore. She was joined by Uzbek light flyweight Hasanboy Dusmatov, who won the men’s Val Barker one week after completing his impressive run to gold.
