ALMATY/ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Kazakhstan threw a lavish ceremony for its record-breaking Olympic athletes on Friday while Turkmenistan fired its sports minister in a reflection of the contrasting fortunes of the former Soviet Central Asian states at the London Games.
Kazakhstan's seven gold medal winners waved to crowds from open-topped limousines on a parade through the futuristic capital Astana before meeting President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled the oil-rich republic for more than two decades.
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Thousands took to the streets of towns across Ireland on Monday to welcome back the country's most successful Olympic team since 1956, led by women's lightweight boxing gold medal winner Katie Taylor.
Ireland's haul of one gold, one silver and three bronze medals was the country's best showing since the 1956 Games in Melbourne, when Ronnie Delany won the 1,500 metres gold.
DAKAR (Reuters) - A Congolese judo competitor and three other members of the central African country's Olympic delegation have gone missing in London since the weekend, local media reported on Monday, adding to a list of seven other African athletes who vanished during the Games.
Democratic Republic of Congo's Cedric Mandembo, who lost his only judo match in 49 seconds to Russian Alexander Mikhaylin in the 100 kg category, disappeared shortly after Sunday's closing ceremony and was not answering his mobile phone, U.N.-sponsored Radio Okapi reported, citing the Congolese Olympic Committee.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Some wondered if they would be a novelty, others questioned whether they should be in the ring at all but for four days at the London Games, women boxers were the talk of the Olympics for all the right reasons.
By Patrick Johnston and Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Briton Anthony Joshua brought the house down with a huge final round to take the super-heavyweight title and end the absorbing boxing action in fine style after classy fighters from Cuba and Ukraine delivered more gold.
By Patrick Johnston and Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Anthony Joshua produced a big comeback to beat Italian Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle to super-heavyweight gold on Sunday, capping an impressive performance in the ring by the host nation.
By Patrick Johnston
LONDON (Reuters) - Serik Sapiyev stunned a boisterous home crowd on Sunday when he pummelled his way to welterweight gold with a 17-9 demolition of Britain's Freddie Evans and earned Kazakhstan their first boxing title of the Games.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Anthony Joshua produced a big comeback to beat Italian Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle to the super-heavyweight title on Sunday, capping an impressive performance by the host nation in the ring.
Joshua, ten years Cammarelle's junior and heavily fancied for gold before the final, came from three points down going into the last round to win the final bout of the London Games on countback to the delight of the home crowd.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Cuban teenager Robeisy Ramirez Carrazana ensured he left the London Games as the fighter to watch after his power and speed took him past Mongolian Tugstsogt Nyambayar to Olympic flyweight gold on Sunday.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Egor Mekhontcev made sure Russia would not leave the ring without a gold medal on Sunday when he came from behind to beat Kazakhstan's Adilbek Niyazymbetov to the light-heavyweight title by the tightest of margins.
By Patrick Johnston
LONDON (Reuters) - Ukraine's professional heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko was on hand to see his compatriot Vasyl Lomachenko prove once again why he is the best in the amateur ranks as the lightweight romped to a second successive Olympic gold on Sunday.
LONDON (Reuters) - Serik Sapiyev stunned a boisterous home crowd on Sunday when he pummelled his way to welterweight gold with a 17-9 demolition of Britain's Freddie Evans and hand Kazakhstan its first boxing title of the Games.
Kazakhstan, a rising force in amateur boxing who will host next year's world championships, had pocketed a bronze elsewhere in the men's draw but when Sapiyev bounded into the ring, it looked like he was fully intent on getting gold.
LONDON (Reuters) - Ukraine's Vasyl Lomachenko showed why he is regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the amateur ranks on Sunday when he showed no ill effects in moving up in weight to romp home to a second successive Olympic gold.
Lomachenko was just about the hottest favourite of the London Games after he followed up the featherweight gold he won with ease in Beijing with a world title apiece at both feather and lightweight class.
By Belinda Goldsmith
LONDON (Reuters) - As women athletes leave the London Olympics basking in unprecedented praise and attention, former female Olympians have some advice for the women of 2012 - keep up the fight.
By Patrick Johnston and Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Cuban Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo opted for relentless attacking while Japan's Ryota Murata went with shrewd inside fighting, but both proved effective as they ended their country's long waits for boxing gold on Saturday.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Oleksandr Usyk won Ukraine's first boxing gold medal of the London Games on Saturday leaving Italy's Clemente Russo with a second successive heavyweight silver medal and fans enjoying another jig of joy.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Classy Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo won Cuba's first Olympics boxing gold in eight years on Saturday when he beat Ukraine's Denys Berinchyk in a battle which pitted the great amateur boxing nation against the rising force of the sport.
By Patrick Johnston
LONDON (Reuters) - Japan's Ryota Murata denied Brazil a first Olympic boxing gold medal on Saturday when he fought smart to win his country's first in the ring for 48 years by beating middleweight Esquiva Falcao Florentino.
LONDON (Reuters) - Oleksandr Usyk won Ukraine's first boxing gold medal of the London Games on Saturday leaving Italy's Clemente Russo to pick up a second successive heavyweight silver medal.
Ukraine dominated last year's world championships, taking home four gold medals including one for Usyk, as they seek to muscle their way to the top of the amateur game.
By Patrick Johnston
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Luke Campbell emulated team mate Nicola Adams's sparkling performance by flooring Ireland's John Joe Nevin as he won Olympic bantamweight gold on Saturday in front of a passionate home crowd.
LONDON (Reuters) - Japan's Ryota Murata denied Brazil a first Olympic boxing gold medal on Saturday when he fought smart to win his country's first in the ring for 48 years by beating middleweight Esquiva Falcao Florentino.
Falcao, whose brother Yamaguchi won bronze in the light-heavyweights, appeared to serve notice to the rest of the middleweight division when he demolished Britain's Anthony Ogogo in the semi-final.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - Classy Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo won Cuba's first boxing gold in eight years on Saturday when he beat Ukraine's Denys Berinchyk in a battle which pitted the great amateur boxing nation against the rising force of the sport.
LONDON (Reuters) - Japan's Ryota Murata beat Brazil's Esquiva Falcao Florentino to win the men's Olympic middleweight boxing gold medal on Saturday.
Murata claimed a 14-13 victory at the Excel Arena in south east London.
By Patrick Johnston
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Luke Campbell emulated team mate Nicola Adams's golden performance on Saturday when he handed the host's men's team their first London Olympic success, beating Irish bantamweight John Joe Nevin in front a buzzing crowd.
LONDON (Reuters) - Cuba's Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo beat Ukraine's Denys Berinchyk to win the men's Olympic light-welterweight boxing gold medal on Saturday.
Sotolongo claimed a 22-15 victory at the Excel Arena in south east London.
By Padraic Halpin
LONDON (Reuters) - China's Zou Shiming won his second successive Olympic gold medal by beating Thailand's Kaeo Pongprayoon on Saturday in a fight once again marred by controversial scoring.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Luke Campbell emulated team mate Nicola Adams's golden performance on Saturday when he handed the host's men's team their first success, beating Irish bantamweight John Joe Nevin in front a buzzing London crowd.
World championship silver medallist Campbell, who beat Nevin in the semi-finals of last year's event by the tightest of margins, came out on top of another close contest, knocking the Irishman down in the final round to seal a 14-11 victory.
LONDON (Reuters) - China's Zou Shiming won his second successive Olympic gold medal on Saturday, beating Thailand's Kaeo Pongprayoon in a battle of two of the oldest fighters at the London Games to cap his total dominance of the light-flyweight division.
Zou, who won China's first Olympic boxing medal, a bronze, eight years ago and its first gold in front of home fans at the Beijing Games, added a second Olympic win to a career haul that also includes three world amateur championships.
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