TOKYO. – Irish Magno started and finished strong to score an emphatic 5-0 shutout win over Kenyan Christine Ongare on Sunday in the women’s 48-51kg division of the Tokyo Olympics boxing competitions at the Kokugikan Arena here.
Following coach Don Abnett’s game-plan nearly to the letter, Magno toyed with the Kenyan from start to finish, moving in for crisp blows and then dancing out of harm’s way from Ongare’s wild swings.
All the five judges gave the nod to the Filipina flyweight (30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27), including a 30-26 score from Algerian judge Sidali Mokretari, as she advanced to the Round-of-16.
Magno, however, toned down expectations after her scintillating victory, a fitting follow-up to teammate Nesthy Petecio’s emphatic 5-0 win a day earlier.
“Huwag muna tayo mag-aim high, step by step muna tayo,” Magno said as she walked to her waiting shuttle service outside of the arena that originally plays host to the traditional Japanese sport of sumo wrestling.
Magno, 25, takes on Jutamas Jitpong next at 12:24 p.m. (Philippine time) on Thursday. The Thai scored an equally impressive 5-0 win over Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam 15 minutes later.
Ranked No. 25 in the world, Magno used her two-inch height advantage to the hilt against Ongare, who is ranked higher at No. 17 and is the first female Kenyan boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal (bronze) in the sport.
Magno delivered precise 1-2 combinations and used a solid defense as she deftly eluded Orange’s aggressive attack.
On Monday, flyweight No. 25 Carlo Paalam makes his Olympic debut at 11:03 a.m. (Philippine time) against 25-year-old Irishman Brendan Irvine, ranked No. 32.
Also on Monday, Petecio faces the biggest thorn in her bid for the gold when she fights top-seed Lin Yu-Ting of Chinese Taipei in the Round-of-16 at 12:39 p.m. (Philippine time).
Middleweight Eumir Marcial, by virtue of being seeded No. 3 here, drew a bye. Needing only two wins to clinch a bronze medal and four to secure gold, Marcial will fight on Thursday the winner between Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi and Ugandan Kavuma David Ssemujju.
