Twenty-one-year-old Sallynoggin heavyweight (92kg) Jack Marley, who made such an impressive Olympic debut last Sunday was beaten tonight by Davlat Boltaev of Tajikistan in the 92kg quarter-finals; 4-1.
Earlier talented Bray flyweight Daina Moorehouse was bitterly disappointed to be on the wrong side of a 4-1 decision in favour of hometown fighter Wassila Lkhadiri of France, on her Olympic debut in the last 16 of the Flyweight division (50kg).
Swimmer Tom Fannin on his Olympic debut was fourth in the semi-final of the 50m Freestyle tonight, in a new PB and NR of 21.74, but it was not enough to make the top eight for the final finishing just outside on 10th overall.
BOXING
Jack Marley’s dream of bringing home a medal from his first Olympic games ended with a 4:1 defeat by Tajikistan’s Davlat Botaev in the 92kg quarter-finals. Despite his youth – the 21-year-old from Monkstown BC was the youngest in his entire heavyweight division in Paris – he gave everything he had against an Asian Games gold medallist who proved just too elusive.
The Sallynoggin man lost the first round 4-1 and the second round was stopped temporarily to check a cut above his eye which appeared to come from a clash of heads but despite losing the second round 4:1, he never quit, unleashing some great left hooks and combinations as he chased to the end, winning the third round 3:2.
“He was elusive, I thought I outpunched him but it is what it is and I’m really grateful for all the support I had out there,” Marley said.
“I thought I gave it socks and I always do that. I gave it a real rattle, that’s the least you do in this sport. We’ll just have to re-group and go again. It’s a hard one to swallow but I’ve an amazing group around me. After this I can take in the full Olympics experience and I’ll be up those stands now shouting on Michaela (Walsh) and Kellie (Harrington), just as much as I’d like to be cheered on.”
Earlier in the evening young Wicklow flyweight Daina Moorehouse(22) looked particularly unlucky not to get the decision after making a super Olympic debut in the last 16 of the 50kg.
The 22 year-old from Bray defied the baying, partisan crowd at the North Paris Arena by winning the first round (3:2) against French veteran Wassila Lkhadiri.
The 22 year-old from Bray defied the baying, partisan crowd at the North Paris Arena by winning the first round (3:2) against French veteran Wassila Lkhadiri.
The Enniskerry BC fighter never took a backward step and was aggressive and accurate throughout against a much more experienced 28-year-old, yet the judges gave both the second and third rounds 4:1 to her opponent and the Frenchwoman won on a split 4:1 decision.
“When you’re getting beaten you feel you’re getting beaten, but I didn’t feel like I was losing,” Moorehouse said after losing to the woman who also beat her narrowly in the European Games last year.
“It was 3:2 when I met her last year and I think I won two of the three rounds. It would have been nice to finally beat her but maybe next time,” she said.
“I definitely thought I was landing the harder shots and was the busier boxer. I don’t think I could have done anything more. I pushed on in the third round thinking surely I have this. I just went for it.
“It is hard to take but I’m just so proud for even being here. I’m 22 years of age and I’m at the Olympics. It would have been a bonus to get a win and fight for a medal but I am happy to be here.”
“It is hard to take but I’m just so proud for even being here. I’m 22 years of age and I’m at the Olympics. It would have been a bonus to get a win and fight for a medal but I am happy to be here.”
SWIMMING
Tom Fannon had another impressive showing in the semi-final of the 50m Freestyle on Thursday at La Defense setting a second Irish Record to place fourth in his semi-final and tenth overall. The 26-year-old, who broke the existing Irish Record of 21.82 in this morning’s heats lowering it to 21.79, lowered that time once again to 21.74, just missing out on the final by one tenth of a second.
Commenting on the race Fannon said: “It’s a really stacked heat, a really stacked event, the 50m Free is always fast and obviously to go back-to-back PBs, morning and evening is great. I would have liked to have gone a bit faster, I think. I think the morning swim in terms of the mistakes gave me more confidence than that 21.74 there and I think personally I could have gone 0.1 faster there.
“In hindsight and you can’t really work off that, at the end of the day it is really bittersweet, I have to be happy with the fact that, first Games, semi-final, just off a final, two Irish records, two PBs back-to-back, I mean I’d be silly to say I’m disappointed.”
With the 50m Freestyle Fannon’s sole event of the Games, he commented on his experience: “It’s been good, it’s hard to race one event especially when it’s 21 seconds, day six of the meet, it’s not easy and it’s about manging emotions throughout the week, just being in control of that, not getting too excited, knowing when to switch off, when to switch on, and I think I did really well, I think I managed that perfectly, in my opinion. But yeah, I would have liked to have done a Final but we learn from it, we move on and we reflect and also celebrate.”
With one withdrawal confirmed, Fannon is now first reserve for Friday’s Final.