‘Just really heartbreaking’: Australian misses out on boxing history by barest of margins

Australia’s wait for its first female Olympic boxing medallist continues after Skye Nicolson lost a split points decision to Great Britain’s Karriss Artingstall in their featherweight quarter-final clash on Wednesday.

Nicolson would have been guaranteed a medal had she progressed, only for Artingstall to win by the barest of margins. The fighters were almost impossible to separate, both believing they had done enough to earn the victory once the bell sounded at the end of the third and final round.

Skye Nicolson breaks down in tears after losing in the quarter-finals of the women’s featherCredit: Getty

After being narrowly outpointed in the first round, the Australian held a slender lead going in to the final one. However, three of the five judges deemed the Brit did just enough over the final three minutes to prevail in a thriller.

When the decision was announced, Nicolson broke down and dropped to her haunches, aware that she would have been guaranteed a bronze medal at worst had the decision gone her way.

“Just disappointment, it’s pretty hard to put it into words right now,” Nicolson said.

No Australian woman has progressed so far in an Olympic tournament, but that came as little comfort to the 25-year-old.

“It means nothing to me; I don’t care about that,” she said. “I care about what I know I’m capable of, and not achieving that is just really heartbreaking. I came here with one goal and that was the gold medal.

Skye Nicolson (blue) lands a blow omn Karriss Artingstall.Credit: Getty

“I truly believed that I was going to win it and to go out now is really hard for me. It’s definitely not the end, but I’m going to take some time to see what happens next.“

Asked if she had a message for her supporters back at home, Nicolson said: “Sorry I didn’t get the job done ... I’ll be back bigger, better and stronger next time.”

It was an outstanding contest from the outset, Artingstall utilising her jab as Nicolson tried to land punches on the inside. Nicolson landed perhaps the most telling blows in the second round, but wasn’t able to maintain her workrate as both boxers tired.

The 25-year-old was following in the footsteps of her late brother Jamie, who boxed for Australia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Jamie and another sibling, Gavin, died in a car accident on their way to a training session in 1994, a year before Nicholson was born.

Having already won a Commonwealth Games gold medal, Nicholson’s dream was to create history by adding an Olympic medal to her collection, an ambition she believed she had achieved until the judges reached their verdict.

The result was the second split decision that went against Australia on Wednesday. Earlier, Paulo Aokuso lost his round-of-16 light-heavyweight clash in the same manner against Spain’s Gazimagomed Jalidov.

Aokuso dominated the second round, but the judges ruled the Spaniard did just enough in the first and third to earn victory. It is an opportunity lost, as the draw opened up when top seed Bekzad Nurdauletov suffered a shock loss in the preceding bout.

Aokuso lost no admirers in another entertaining battle that would have been difficult to score.

And compatriot Caitlin Parker suffered a unanimous points loss in her round-of-16 middleweight bout against Panama’s Atheyna Bylon.

Harry Garside is the last remaining Australian, whose next bout is scheduled for Saturday night.

One of Australia’s brightest boxing medal hopes, Justis Huni, had to pull out of the Olympics with hand injuries he exacerbated during his defeat of former footballer Paul Gallen.

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