Karriss out to take a swing at Paris after bagging bronze

KARRISS Artingstall rued her sluggish start in a razor-thin split decision defeat to Japan’s Sena Irie but the Macclesfield featherweight will use her Olympic bronze as motivation to go all the way at Paris 2024.

Artingstall, who had guaranteed herself a medal by edging out Australia’s Skye Nicolson last time out, lost the first round of this absorbing semi-final contest in the women’s 57kg category on every scorecard.

Irie was the busier fighter early on but Artingstall upped the tempo thereafter and the pair went into the final three minutes with four of the five judges scoring the bout one round apiece at the Kokugikan Arena.

Both fighters landed eye-catching blows and while there was little to split them, Artingstall’s work found favour with three of the officials. But it was Irie who advanced to the gold medal match when the scores were totted up.

Three of the judges gave Irie the nod at 29-28, with the other two swaying towards Artingstall by the same scoreline. After her involvement in Japan was ended, the Briton reflected with some regret at how she started on Saturday.

“Playing catch up is an absolute nightmare,” she said. “If you ask any boxer in the world dropping that first round and having to catch up in the second and the third is absolutely horrible.

“I tried my best, I managed to pick it back up in the second and (in the third) I felt I was giving her three in return for one of hers. But I’m not going to moan about the decision, it was very, very close.”