In a surprising turn of events at the Paris Olympics, Filipino boxer Nesthy Petecio was defeated by Poland's Julia Szeremata in the women's featherweight semifinals at Roland Garros Stadium on Thursday (Philippine Time).
Despite a strong start in the first round, where Petecio's serious approach won her the favor of all five judges, Szeremata made a comeback in the final two rounds. The Polish boxer impressed four of the judges in the second round, with only the Indonesian judge favoring Petecio.
The intense third round saw both fighters exchanging blows, but Szeremata's late shots in the final 10 seconds swayed the judges, leading to her 4-1 split decision victory. This win secured Szeremata at least a silver medal and denied Petecio a rematch with Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting.
Lin, who defeated Turkey's Esra Kahraman in the other semifinal, has been a controversial figure due to gender-related issues at the Paris Olympics. Had Petecio advanced, she would have faced Lin, whom she lost to in the Asian Games last year.
Petecio will now settle for the bronze medal, while the Philippine boxing team's quest for Olympic gold continues.
Meanwhile, golfer Bianca Pagdanganan is in contention for a medal after the opening round of the women's golf event. She finished at even par 72, tying for 13th place, just two strokes behind the third-place tie.
Dottie Ardina and Yuka Saso struggled in their opening rounds, finishing at four-over-par 76 and five-over-par 77, respectively. France's Celine Boutier took the early lead with a seven-under-par 65.
In weightlifting, John Ceniza's Olympic debut ended prematurely as he failed all his attempts in the men's 61-kilogram event. China's Li Fabin won the gold with a total of 310 kilograms, setting a new Olympic record in the snatch.
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