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London Olympics 2012: Boxer Claressa Shields Goes For Gold Thursday

Seventeen-year-old Flint native Claressa Shields will compete for a gold medal in women's boxing Thursday against Russian Nadezda Torlopova.

As women's boxing is new to the Olympics, this will be the first Olympic gold ever awarded in the event.

The match is set for 5:15 p.m. London time, or 12:15 Eastern.

Shields, whose unabashed faith made her a media darling for Christian outlets heading into the Olympics, is competing in the 75kg (165-pound) weight class.

Torlopova, who at 33 is nearly twice as old as Shields, is a former world champion in the super heavyweight class

Shields rolled through her semifinal bout with Marina Volnova of Ukraine, winning each of the four rounds en route to a 29-15 victory.

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