Birmingham, United Kingdom — Kenyan boxer Christine Ongare has admitted her opponent, Priyanka Dhillon, deserved her victory during their middleweight division bout on Wednesday at the ongoing Commonwealth Games.
Ongare lost to the Canadian via a split decision in their quarter final fight after which four judges awarded Dhillon a maximum score compared to only one for the Kenyan.
However, the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, confessed Dhillon had the pedigree to reign supreme and had executed her strategy perfectly.
"It wasn't easy... honestly, I didn't understand the judges' decision at the hand because I feel I fought well, according to the guidance of the coaches. However, I have to admit she (Dhillon) is not an easy opponent. She is good. I know her because we met at the Women's World Championship," she said.
Ongare, who also competed at last year's Tokyo Olympics, said she was under pressure to deliver on the big stage due to the high ranking accorded to her.
"I think we went toe-to-toe because everyone who came for these games simply wants to win. Getting into the quarters means you are highly ranked and are likely to fight against a similarly ranked opponent. For me, it was kind of an added pressure because I knew that whoever I was going to meet was not an easy opponent," she said.
The pugilist, who in May this year received scholarship from the National Olympic Committee-Kenya (NOCK), is still undecided on her next move after her second Club Games appearance.
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With this scholarship, Ongare will be hoping to make the Paris Olympics in two years' time.
"The major thing on my roster is maybe the national league matches as we prepare for Paris. For now, any other short-term plan depends on the outcome of the General Elections and how long things take to normalize," she said.
Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa said he was disappointed their game plan did not work out as expected.
"The match was really tough. We had prepared well... we watched all clips of her (Dhillon) previous fights and had developed a game plan for Christine. I think the fight was lost in the first round when she was cornered and couldn't get out of the line of fire," Musa said.
It has been a tough outing for the boxers in Birmingham with captain Nick Okoth, Shaffy Bakari and Ongare having exited their bouts.
The coach decried minor mistakes and tough draws have gone against his charges.
"When you have a tough draw, the task is definitely bigger. If you look at Christine and Elizabeth (Andiego) opponents, they are both highly ranked in the World Women's Boxing Championship. I don't know about Nick... he seemed a little bit rugged at the beginning but only recovered his feet in the last round," he said.
"Shaffy... I think he fought very well and I don't understand how the split decision went against him. I actually feel it should have gone his way. All in all, it is a good experience from which we will seek to rectify these small mistakes ahead of the continental championships," Musa added.
