Glasgow, Scotland – Sierra Leone’s leading female boxer Josefien Betist has vowed to bounce back after a hard-fought split decision loss to England’s Lucy Kings-Wheatley in the women’s 60kg quarter-finals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The bout on Tuesday evening at the SEC Centre ended 3-2 on the judges’ scorecards in favour of the Acocks Green fighter from Birmingham. Kings-Wheatley advanced despite a point deduction in the second round, denying Betist a place in the semi-finals and with it a guaranteed medal.
A win would have made history. Sierra Leone has competed at the Commonwealth Games since its debut in Cardiff in 1958 and has never won a medal in any sport.
Betist, who helped represent the nation at the opening ceremony, had reached the last eight in strong form and stood one victory away from becoming the country’s first Commonwealth Games medallist.
“I fought with every strength hoping to win a medal for Sierra Leone, but the judges’ split decisions didn’t go my way. I respect that,” Betist said. “I now turn my attention to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.”
Born in the Netherlands and based in Edenderry, Ireland, where she trains at St Brigid’s Boxing Club, Betist holds dual ties to Sierra Leone and has emerged as one of the nation’s brightest sporting talents. She entered the Games on a hot streak, collecting three international gold medals in six months: the Winter Box Cup in Manchester (December 2025), the Riga Ladies International Box Cup in Latvia (March 2026), and the Internationaler Greifenpokal in Rostock, Germany (May 2026).
Her recent success has been backed by the Sierra Leone Boxing Association, the National Sports Authority and the National Olympic Committee. For a country still seeking its first Commonwealth medal after nearly seven decades of participation, Betist’s run to the quarter-finals offered genuine hope and national pride.
Although the narrow defeat ends her Glasgow campaign, the 22-year-old remains focused on the bigger picture. Qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles would mark another milestone, potentially making her Sierra Leone’s first female Olympic boxer.
The road to Los Angeles begins now.
