Katie Taylor suffered her first defeat in five years at the European Olympic qualifiers this afternoon.
Azerbaijan boxer Yana Alekseevna won a unanimous verdict in their lightweight semi-final.
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ilyas Gun.
It means Taylor misses out on an opportunity to guarantee a place at the Rio Olympics, although if she wins tomorrow’s bout for third place that may be enough to gain qualification.
Otherwise she will have to make the final four of next month’s world championship in Astana to book her spot at the Games.
Speaking afterwards Taylor was acknowledged the hurt of the loss but was determined to put it behind her and focus on qualification at the world championship.
“I’m obviously very disappointed,” she said. “I always go away to these competitions with the aim of bringing back a gold medal.”
“The loss came at the wrong time for me, but at the same time she’s a great boxer and you can’t take it away from her. She deserved it today.”
“I’ll come again. The difference between winning and losing is very marginal. Thank God I’ve another chance to qualify, I’m going to do everything I can to book my place in Rio.”
