Aoife O’Rourke bows out after controversial split decision defeat

TOUGH LOSS: Aoife O'Rourke reacts to her loss at the Olympic Games in Paris on Thursday evening. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho

Aoife O’Rourke’s 2024 Olympics is at an end after her 75kg round of 16 bout finished in a controversial split decision defeat against Poland’s Elzbieta Wojcik at the Paris Arena.

The two-time Olympian had been a strong medal hope for Ireland but lost out on a 29-27, 26-30, 27-29, 28-28, 29-27 scorecard. 

It was the Canadian judge who went for Wojcik after initially scoring it a draw.

Wojcik, who the Roscommon woman has beaten in her six previous meetings, lost a point in the opening round for holding and was handed several subsequent warnings before the final bell.

The red corner rushed O’Rourke from the off and was an awkward foe throughout. A messy fight only worsened as it wore on. Southpaw Wojcik swung liberally with several wild hooks although O’Rourke responded with accurate rights on more than one occasion.

She only had one or two options,” O’Rourke said post-fight. “She was either going to come at me like a bull or she was going to stand her ground in the middle of the ring. And from the get-go, she came out. But that is it. 

"You’re at an Olympic Games, you’re going to come out full-steam ahead, take no chances, and that is what she did.” 

A vocal Irish crowd roared on the 27-year-old, who carried a phenomenal 27-1 record since making her Olympic Games debut in 2021. It means six of eight Irish boxers have lost their opening fight in Paris.

“There was a lot of holding. Look that is part of it, maybe I should’ve been quicker getting out, but it is what is now and I wish her the best going forward.

She continued: “I am very disappointed, she set the pace and the intensity from the get-go. It was a battle the whole way through.”