PARIS (Reuters) – Three years after Britain finished second overall in the boxing competition in Tokyo with six medals, the country was left reeling on Wednesday after Chantelle Reid became the nation’s fifth straight fighter to be eliminated at the Paris Olympics.
Reid suffered a 3-2 split decision loss to Morocco’s Khadija Mardi in a women’s heavyweight bout on Wednesday, leaving Lewis Richardson as the only British boxer in the competition.
Despite the defeats, Reid said the mood in the British camp had not soured.
“We’ve all been so supportive of each other. We’ve given each other so much respect and we’ve been there for each other. We’re a close team,” she added.
“I think all the team and the support staff have been so supportive of me. They’ve been there 100%. I felt good going into that ring.
“Honestly, I’ve never walked into the ring feeling so much confidence. I felt good, I felt ready, I felt I was going to get the win. There was no bad feeling leading up to this fight at all.”
Australia started the day on a tough note as men’s light middleweight Shannan Davey lost to Bulgarian Rami Kiwan, adding to three defeats for Australian boxers on Tuesday.
However, heavyweight Caitlin Parker gave Australian fans at the North Paris Arena something to cheer with a clinical unanimous win over Citlalli Ortiz, using her height and superior range to overwhelm the Mexican.
“This event now, it’s even bigger than Tokyo for me because I learned a lot,” said Parker, who lost in the round of 16 at the Olympics three years ago.
“It was a learning curve for me. Didn’t get what I wanted there, so now I’m hungrier than ever. Smarter than ever. Stronger than ever. Faster than ever.”
In Wednesday’s opening bout, Uzbekistan’s world and Asian Games champion Abdumalik Khalokov beat Sweden’s Nebil Ibrahim in the men’s featherweight division, before Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain of India defeated Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad in the women’s 75kg category.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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