Team Philippines’ Hergie Bacyadan (in blue) fights against China’s Li Qian in the women’s 75kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match during the Paris Olympics 2024 at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on July 31, 2024. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)
Team Philippines’ Hergie Bacyadan bowed to Chinese Li Qian in the women’s 75-kilogram round of 16 on Wednesday, becoming the second Filipino boxer to crash out of the medal hunt in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Li, a two-time Olympic medalist, worked her jab to the fullest and gamely engaged the power-punching Bacyadan in fierce exchanges, landing the scoring punches to keep her bid alive for a gold at North Paris Arena.
Li won a bronze in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a silver in the Tokyo Games three years ago.
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Bacyadan, a world champion in vovinam who was recalled to the Philippine national boxing team, had earlier said she was going to charge early in her Olympic bouts.
She found a willing partner in Li, who wasn’t afraid to mix it up, but stealthily used her jab to set up more landing blows that resulted in a shutout in the first round in favor of the Chinese.
In sparing action in the second round, the same results emerged from exchanges, leaving Bacyadan with a lot of work to do in the third.
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But Li kept using the jab to blunt Bacyadan’s attack, and when the Filipino did get past that, she managed to win exchanges. But by then, Li had pretty much sewed up the win.
All judges scored it 30-27 for the Chinese.
Bacyadan’s result left Aira Villegas, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam in the running, with the latter set to fight later Wednesday evening.
Eumir Marcial was the first member of the Philippine vaunted boxing squad sent off after he lost his 80kg opener to Turabek Khabibullaev of Uzbekistan early Wednesday morning.