Paris – Wyatt Sanford has a medal in his pocket, a different one in his mind’s eye, and the good sense to know that whatever colour he winds up winning, he wouldn’t have had a puncher’s chance without the backbone provided by family and community.

Today, it’s bronze, but with a twist of Olympic alchemy, it could be gold or silver, should the 25-year-old boxer from Kennetcook, a community in Hants County, N.S., win a semi-final bout against Sofiane Oumiha of France on Sunday and advance to the final.