There was heartbreak for Lowestoft's double Olympian Charley Davison at Paris 2024.
The Team GB boxer suffered an agonising split decision defeat on the opening day of boxing action at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Despite being the busier boxer throughout Saturday evening's bout, landing the better blows and seemingly scoring with cleaner shots it was Turkey's Hatice Akbas whose hand was raised at the end of the bantamweight contest.
It meant supermum-of-three Davison, who reached the quarter-final stages at Tokyo 2020, was on the wrong end of an agonisingly close 3:2 split decision - as a visibly surprised Akbas progressed.
After a change of weight division, Davison - the Triple A Boxing Club member from Lowestoft - said she was "feeling confident" as she headed into the Paris Games.
And with Charley's partner Bruce and children Arnell, Armani and Amir ringside for the first time, they joined friends and clubmates to roar her on at the North Paris Arena at Villepinte.
Davison - as she showed throughout the bout - was the aggressor, boxing on the front foot and landing with jabs, but it was Akbas who was given the first round on four of five cards.
Yet despite finding herself 4:1 down after the opening three minutes, the 30-year-old bantamweight battled back and dominated the second round leaving the result in the balance going into the third round.
After a strong display in the final round where Davison landed plenty of clean shots on her opponent, somehow it was the 2022 World Champion, Akbas, who had her arm raised by the referee at the end of the bout.
Davison said: "I admit I had a bit of a slow start in the first round, but I thought I picked up but perhaps it wasn’t enough.
"It’s tough to swallow.
"I was putting the pressure on but it wasn’t enough, and she got the decision and it’s disappointing.
"Maybe I could have started faster in the first round but then you can’t just rush out and go straight at them because you’re up against one of the best in the world and you play into their hands that way."
After the narrow split decision defeat in Paris, GB Boxing posted: "We're so proud of you Charley, forever a two-time Olympian."
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