In front of a boisterous crowd under the roof on the famous Philippe-Chatrier court, Caitlin gave it her all in the semi-final bout but didn't progress to the gold medal bout.
With her bronze medal, Caitlin becomes the first Australian woman to win an Olympic boxing medal.
She fell to Li Qian of China in the women’s 75kg semi-final, taking the first round before losing in a unanimous 5-0 decision.
She said that she was proud of her performance, despite being disappointed at not getting an opportunity to fight for gold.
“I said I was going to go to war and I did,” she said. “I left everything out there and the game plan didn't go as I wanted.
“But I'm proud of myself for having gotten where I've gotten, for making history for Australian boxing.
“I wanted that gold medal so badly. It's been my screen saver on my phone for the past four years.
“I've worn nothing but gold. I literally haven't worn silver or gray for the past two or three years because it's too close to being silver and I always want gold.
“I really truly thought I could do it, but I didn't. And you know what? I'm proud I did it for Australia.”
It was a fast start by the 28-year-old, who looked quick on her feet in her defence against the much taller Li.
Landing several quick punches on the counter, Caitlin was able to secure the favour of the judges with a with all five giving her a score of ten for the first round.
Li showed why she is the tournament’s number one boxer in the second, quickly establishing momentum with a series of hits throughout the round.
Caitlin fired away plenty in return, however her opponent was quick to the defense, locking Caitlin and the bout down on several occasions in the centre of the ring before the referee stepped in.
All five judges scored Li a ten in the second round, giving extra spice to the third.
In the end the tenacity and power of the Chinese competitor was too much for Caitlin, with a flurry of hits in the final round doing enough for Li to secure a unanimous 5-0 decision.
“I did think that I was getting the clearer shot and it kind of came to me as a little bit of a shock when they said it was even coming into the third,” Caitlin said. “I went into the third leaving everything on the line.
“I just fell into her wrestling a bit too much and I knew that it was coming, but I just couldn't get out of it as well as I wanted to.
“She's such an amazing opponent and I have all the respect in the world for her.”
