‘We won’t stop’: Irish Magno stays determined after Tokyo exit

Philippines’ Irish Magno fights Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong during their women’s fly (48-51kg) preliminaries round of 16 boxing match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on July 29, 2021. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / various sources / AFP)

TOKYO—Irish Magno may have lost her chance to win a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics here.

But that doesn’t mean she will give up on chasing that shiny medal just yet.

“Until we win that gold, we won’t stop,” Magno said after dropping a unanimous decision bout to the cat-quick and cocksure Jutamas Jitpong on Thursday in the women’s boxing flyweight division at Kokugikan Arena.

Jitpong was simply quicker to the punch in the first round, dominating Magno from the onset.

Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong (blue) celebrates after winning against Philippines’ Irish Magno after their women’s fly (48-51kg) preliminaries round of 16 boxing match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on July 29, 2021. (Photo by Luis ROBAYO / various sources / AFP)

Magno found her stride in the second round, landing jarring shots there, but Jitpong managed to find angles for quick scoring counters that gave her another sweep of the judges’ score cards.

That left Magno cornered in the third, needing a strong and spectacular showing—a knockdown or a knockout perhaps—to turn the tables around.

But Jitpong was too much in command of the match, dictating the pace in the third round. It did not help that Magno lacked the sense of urgency to press for a comeback.

“I’m sad with the results because I prepared hard for this,” Magno said. “But everybody else also prepared because this is the Olympics.”

Magno had previously beaten Jitpong when the two clashed in the Southeast Asian Games in Manila.

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