Caldwell native Alyssa Mendoza kept it close in her second boxing match of the 2024 Olympics, but was unable to land the punches she needed at the end to move forward in the competition.
The Idaho Press reports Mendoza’s run in Paris ended Friday with a 4-1 split decision loss to Brazil’s Jucielen Romeu in the Round of 16 in the women’s featherweight (57 kg) bracket. The loss leaves the 20-year-old with a 1-1 record in her first Olympic Games experience.
Romeu edged out Mendoza in the third round, with all five judges giving her a 10-9 advantage in the round. That left four of the five judges’ total score deciding the bout by ` point, with the judge from Algeria being the lone judge to give Mendoza the match at 29-28.
Three judges gave Romeu a 29-28 advantage, while the Czech Republic judge gave her a 30-27 overall advantage.
Mendoza was the first-ever Idaho boxer to qualify for the Olympics and the youngest member of USA Boxing to compete in Paris.
