TOKYO– Oh Yeon-ji, considered the best boxing medal hope for South Korea at the Tokyo Olympics, was sent packing after just one fight on Friday.
Oh lost to Mira Marjut Johanna Potkonen of Finland in the round of 16 bout for the women’s lightweight division at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.
Four of the five judges scored in favor of Potkonen.
Oh was one of only two South Korean boxers here. The other, Im Aeji in the women’s featherweight, had earlier lost in the round of 16, too.
Oh’s exit ensures South Korea has gone two straight Olympics without a boxing medal.
Oh arrived in Tokyo ranked No. 2 in the world. She won the Asian Games gold medal in 2018, something no other female boxer from the country had done.
But she ran into the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in her first fight and will be going home earlier than many had expected.
Source: Yonhap News Agency