Aussie boxer fights once, loses, but still wins bronze

Australian flyweight Taylah Robertson won boxing bronze today at the Commonwealth Games -- despite losing her one and only bout.

In a bizarre turn of events, the 19-year-old home hope was given a bye in the seven-woman draw, propelling her straight into the semi-finals.

That meant a certain bronze, even though she was beaten on a split-points decision by former skull-fracture victim Lisa Whiteside of England.

With the bout over three rounds, each three minutes long, Robertson's Games lasted just nine minutes.

Whiteside, 32, who suffered the serious fracture in a freak fall in 2015, goes into Saturday's final and will face Carly McNaul of Northern Ireland.

A disconsolate Robertson said she took no satisfaction from winning bronze and felt she did enough to beat Whiteside, who was the aggressor throughout.

"She came forward strong, I didn't think she landed the cleaner shots," said Robertson. Asked by AFP if it felt an unsatisfying bronze, she replied: "Yeah, it does. I came here for gold."