Jennifer Lehane exited the Olympics following a comprehensive defeat to the impressive Yuan Chang of China in Paris.
The Ashbourne fighter was hoping to join Kellie Harrington and Jack Marley in the quarter-finals, however, she came up against a classy operator in her Games debut, and was unable to really make an impression in the bantamweight contest, losing via a unanimous decision.
Both boxing in southpaw style, Lehane looked for some early success as she attempted to set the tempo in the early stages, however, Chang immediately looked comfortable, staying strong in the middle of the ring, picking her punches to thwart the Irish attack.
Chang was relentless throughout that opening three minutes and despite Lehane's best efforts, she was good value for her 10:9 score from all five judges.
Lehane appeared to change tactics in the second round as she opted to stay outside and fight off the back foot.
And while it certainly showed improvement from the first round, matching Chang in the opening minute, her opponent wasted little time adapting and was then happy to walk her down and ensure that she took the round to all but guarantee the win.
Losing 20:18 on all scorecards going into the final stanza, Lehane would have needed a remarkable change of fortune to stop Chang as the only real route to victory, however, the Chinese fighter relished the battle and proceeded to dominate once more.
Dropping her hands in a show of confidence to match the dominance, Chang used the final three minutes to send out a signal to the rest of the 54kg division that she was here for the medals.
Lehane stayed busy right through to the bell, showing great heart throughout a contest where she coped physically but was just unable to match the technical skills and experience of her opponent.
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Speaking after the fight (above), Lehane conceded that the reach advantage of Chang was difficult to deal with at times.
"I think I did well in the first few rounds, thought the second round was my best round. But I think the overall experience of the Chinese fighter overcame me today."
"The second round was my best round; using my angles, kind of being in a bit more of a relaxed flow, getting her to come onto me a little bit," she said.
"I lost that a little bit going into the third, she was changing tactics as well then. But it's an honour to be in a ring with such experienced people," Lehane said.
The 25-year-old fighter added that she was "blessed to be here" at the Games in Paris and that she will take her time to decide what comes next for her.
"It’s been a tough journey, especially in the last year with qualifications. So, this just means the world to me to be here and to become an Olympian.
"I’m only young, I’ve only been doing it a few years so there is a lot more to come from me," Lehane said.
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