Joseph Parker was outwitted in the final but ended Youth Olympics on a high. Photo / APN
Teenage boxer Joseph Parker ended New Zealand's campaign at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games with a silver medal in the super heavyweight class in Singapore.
Parker, 18, from Manukau City, was outpointed by tall, counter-punching Frenchman Tony Yoka in the gold medal match.
The scores were level 1-1 on points
after the first round, with the Frenchman taking a 4-1 lead after the second. Parker brought it back to 4-3 before Yoka edged home 8-5.
Just down the hallway at the International Convention Centre, Kaikoura judoka Hayley Baxter also claimed a silver, part of a Belgrade team beaten in the final.
She joined fighters from Russia, Turkmenistan, Germany and Malta in a United Nations team that lost the gold medal match to Team Essen, 6-1.
New Zealand finished the Youth Olympics with seven medals: one gold, five silvers and a bronze.
Parker's bout proved an outstanding battle between the world's No2- and No3-ranked juniors. It saw Parker earning his third medal of the year, after a silver in the Commonwealth championships and bronze at the junior worlds.
But he had a special reason to chase a medal of a different colour, saying: "It's my father's birthday today and I really wanted to bring a gold home for him.
"It didn't quite go the way we wanted but I will train harder and hopefully do better next time. He's [Yoka's] a bit slick and moves around heaps and I couldn't really land the punches I wanted to land.
"I went forward and he just countered off my punches. I've got heaps to learn from this that will help with my next fight."
Earlier, Southland shooter Jenna McKenzie went agonisingly close to qualifying for the final in the 10m air-rifle competition at the Singapore Sports School.
McKenzie shot 388 from a possible 400 to finish 11th, just three points from qualifying for the final. This was close to her personal best in competition and she was unlucky with a number of shots. Germany's Yvonne Scholterbeck led the way with 399.
Auckland sailors Elise Beavis and Jack Collinson finished mid-pack, in 11th and 15th respectively overall, after the medal race yesterday off the Singapore national sailing centre in the Byte II class.
- NZPA
