It's been a brilliant start to these Olympics from an Irish perspective with two medals in the pool and a guaranteed medal for Kellie Harrington, but there was controversy in the boxing ring on Wednesday evening as Aoife O'Rourke was defeated by her Polish opponent Elzbieta Wojcik in surprising circumstances.
In a hugely scrappy fight, two judges scored the fight 28-28 and the Canadian judge awarded the fight to the Pole. Wojcik won despite having a points deduction in the first round.
The Roscommon fighter is a European champion and was seen as a likely medalist for Ireland in the 75kg weight category.
In Wojcik, she faced a hugely awkward opponent who was intent on clenching and preventing O'Rourke from getting comfortable in the ring.
Wojcik was content to latch onto her opponent but despite repeated verbal warnings from judge Kabilan Sai Ashok of India in a chaotic third round, there were no further deductions.
Still, O'Rourke seemed to be the better fighter. Eurosport predicted a victory on their live commentary. On BBC 5 Live, the great Steve Bunce said:
"I think she's done more than enough to win that contest."
However, Wojcik's hand was raised.
Reaction to Aoife O'Rourke's defeat
It was a dreadful reminder of how maddening boxing can be.
Providing commentary on the BBC 5 Live, Bunce joined the chorus of voices on social media who said that O'Rourke deserved the win.
"I don't agree with that decision. I thought O'Rourke was a fairly comfortable winner in that contest."
Ashok's leniency was also criticised by Kenneth Egan in his postmatch analysis, who said the Polish fighter deserved a points deduction in the decisive third round.
Speaking after the fight, a stunned O'Rourke was complimentary of her opponent and took the high road instead of blaming the refereeing or scoring.
"I'm so disappointed...I let myself down, the coaches down. I didn't train the last three years to come out. I gave it my best."
Asked about her opponent's constant holding, she said 'it is what it is.'
RTÉ: 'Were you frustrated by the amount of holding in that fight?'
Aoife O'Rourke: 'It gets frustrating but not a lot I can do. It is what it is.'pic.twitter.com/aSvG6Zdanq— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) July 31, 2024
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