24 August 2008 - 08H52
Last gold medal hope for French boxing vanishes
French boxer Daouda Sow lost to Russia's Olympic and world champion Alexey Tishchenko in a hard fought final of the lightweight tournament. France's boxing team ends it Beijing campaign with two silvers and a bronze.
Russia's Alexey Tishchenko claimed a second straight Olympic gold medal as he beat France's Daouda Sow 11-9 to the lightweight title in Beijing on Sunday.
Tishchenko was the overwhelming favourite coming into this final as he won the featherweight division four years ago in Athens and was also a World Championship finalist in Chicago a year ago.
Sow had surprised Cuban 2005 world champion Yordenis Ugas in the semi-final and caused the Russian many problems with his awkward, rangy style.
It was a high-quality final until the latter stages when both fighters started to get ragged.
Tishchenko led 10-8 coming into the final round but Sow scored an early point and went looking for the victory while the Russian tried desperately to hold on.
But as Sow threw hopeful haymakers, he was caught with a short punch that clinched the gold for Tishchenko.
Ugas and tough Armenian Hrachik Javakhyan won the bronze medals.
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