Bornea settles for bronze

YEREVAN, Armenia—First-timer Jade Bornea failed to sustain a strong start against Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev in their light flyweight semifinal bout and settled for the bronze medal Thursday in the Aiba World Youth Championships at Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex here.

The 17-year-old Filipino took a 6-5 lead after the first round but the Uzbek dominated the second round and went on to take the bout, 25-14.

The switch-hitting South Cotabato native, who came into the PLDT-Abap pool only in middle of the year, was forced into a give-and-take exchange in the middle of the ring and lost steam.

“While we would have wanted a better finish, Bornea already over-achieved,” said Abap president Ricky Vargas after congratulating the Filipino rookie. “There were 367 boxers in the tournament and our boy was among the 10 percent who finished in the podium.”