Olympic boxing 2016 results: Claressa Shields advances to middleweight semifinals

American boxer Claressa Shields defeated Russia’s Yaroslava Yakushina to advance to the middleweight semifinals in Rio on Wednesday. Shields is the defending Olympic and world middleweight champion, making her the favorite in this event.

Shields had no trouble taking down Yakushina in her quarterfinal match. She won by a unanimous decision after peppering Yakushina throughout, proving to be quicker and more powerful than her competitor. Yakushina tried to go on the offensive at times, but Shields fought through the challenges and her own frustration to earn the victory.

Since her breakout at the London Olympics four years ago, Shields has been the woman to beat at the middleweight level. In addition to Olympic gold, she won titles at the 2014 and 2016 World Championships, 2015 Pan American Games and 2016 Americas Qualifier. She’s had just one loss in her entire career, and it came four years ago at the 2012 World Championships, months before she won in London to begin her prolific run.

So the odds were against Yakushina pulling off the upset, just like they’ll be against Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova when she fights Shields in the semifinals on Friday. If the American wins that match, she’ll meet the winner of the semifinal between China’s Li Quan and Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontjin with gold on the line.

In other boxing news, the women’s 60kg gold medal match will see China’s Yin Junhua take on France’s Estelle Mossely after those two won their semifinals Wednesday. The two losers, Finland’s Mira Potkonen and Russia’s Anastasia Belyakova, head home with bronze medals for their efforts. Junhua and Mossely will fight for gold at 3 p.m. ET on Friday.