Crowd watching outdoor big screen cheers as Nova Scotia boxer wins bonze in Paris

KENNETCOOK, N.S. — In a soggy baseball field not far from the Bay of Fundy, more than 400 of Wyatt Sanford’s neighbours cheered Sunday as the Nova Scotia boxer loomed large on a big screen and won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Wyatt’s win marked Canada’s first Olympic medal in boxing since the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996.

The 25-year-old southpaw from the tiny village of Kennetcook, N.S., lost to Sofiane Oumiha of France in a close match at the North Paris Arena, but Sanford was guaranteed a medal regardless of the outcome. Under Olympic rules, the two boxers who lose in the semifinal round are awarded bronze medals rather than compete against each other.

In Kennetcook’s Findley Park, about 4,900 kilometres from Paris, virtually everyone in the crowd was wearing red and waving small Canadian flags as the match started on the big screen under a gloomy, overcast sky. The crowd roared every time Sanford landed a punch. And they all seemed to lean forward every time he pressed into Oumiha to go on the attack.

"Go, Wyatt!" yelled a small boy in the front row.

But the upbeat mood was deflated after the third round when it became clear Sanford would lose on points and miss his chance to compete for a gold medal in the men's 63.5-kilogram category. Sanford's loss was announced from the far-away ring amid polite applause in his hometown.

Minutes later, however, the crowd hooted and hollered with approval when reminded that Sanford had won bronze and would soon be celebrated at a homecoming party in Kennetcook, population 150.

"This means the world to our small community," said Eric White, a local resident who helped organize the event. "What Wyatt has done, we're all so proud of him … That kid gave everything he had."

White said most who attended the watch party did not agree with the judges' decision.

"He got robbed," White said, adding that Sanford is well known around the village for his unbending work ethic. "We're going to welcome him home with open arms."

Kennetcook, about an hour's drive north of Halifax, is named after the Kennetcook River, an important canoe route for Mi'kmaq people. In the Mi’kmaq language, the word means, “The Place Further Ahead.”

Eleanor Roulston, warden of the Municipality of East Hants, said Sanford responded to the loss with grace.

"The sportsmanship displayed by that young man was second to none," Roulston said in an interview. "There's some disappointment that he didn't move on, sure. But there's nothing to be sad about here. He's put this community on the map."

John MacDonald, member of the provincial legislature for the area, said he believes Sanford won the fight.

“Very few people become Olympians and he’s done it twice," he said. "And this time he’s coming back with a bronze."

At Canada Olympic House after the bout, Sanford said the watch party in his hometown was "absolutely wonderful."

"You don’t get that kind of support from a big city. That is a small town coming together and uniting as one. It’s such a great feeling to be a part of that. I can’t wait to go back home and celebrate this with everyone.”

Sanford goes by the nickname "Sandman," but in this part of Nova Scotia he’s known as the "Kennetcook Kid." On the inside of his right bicep there's a tattoo of the Olympic rings. On the outside of his left bicep is an image of a great horned owl.

He and Montreal's Tammara Thibeault were the only Canadian boxers at the Games. Thibeault, from Shawinigan, Que., competed in the women's 75-kg division but was eliminated after her first bout.

Sanford started boxing when he was 10 years old and his first fight was when he was 11. He moved to Montreal in 2017 to join a high-performance training group.

A four-time Canadian youth champion, he won his first senior title in 2018 in the 64-kg weight class. He competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, losing in the opening round, and he won gold last year after his first appearance at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

Outside of the ring, he has studied Criminology and psychology at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, and he’s said he would like to be a police officer.

Recently married to two-time Olympian diver Pamela Ware, his motto is, "Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024.