In the European boxing championship in Belgrade, the Irish boxing team brought home a four-out-of-five win rate, with victories that secured positions in the semi-finals. Among the victors is Kellie Harrington, a gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, who overcame a sluggish start to outmatch Slovakia’s Ozer Gizem in the quarter-final. The second round saw Harrington regain her stride, taking her victory at 5-2 according to the judges’ panel. Harrington, 34, aspires to be the first Irish boxer to retain an Olympic title. She would stand shoulder to shoulder with legendary Dr Pat O’Callaghan, the hammer thrower who achieved that feat consecutively in 1928 and 1932.
Harrington, a Dublin native, narrowly won the first round on a split decision, with Gizem favoured by two of the five judges. The second round, however, showcased a resurgent Harrington attacking with aggressive precision and speed, earning unanimous approval from the judges. The Slovakian competitor faltered in the final round, unable to overcome Harrington’s laser-focused boxing skills, enabling the Irish boxer to proceed to the semi-finals unscathed.
Elsewhere, former European champion Aoife O’Rourke, following her sister Lisa’s exit from the tournament, scored a flawless 5-0 victory over Hungary’s Veronika Nakota. O’Rourke dominated throughout all three rounds, securing full support from the judging panel in the first two. Nakota’s comeback effort in the semi-final fell short against the poised O’Rourke, who grabbed the opportunity to compete in another European final.
Additionally, Shannon Sweeney triumphed in her light flyweight duel against Spain’s top-seeded Laura Fuertes Fernandez. Niamh Fay too made it to the semi-final bout following a walkover against Stanmira Petrova winning a place on the winners’ podium.
Jessica Triebelova of Slovakia defeated Lisa O’Rourke, the 2022 World Championships light middleweight gold medallist, in a closely contested match. O’Rourke may have lost her footing by being too yielding during the initial round, leading all five panel judges to award a 10-9 score in favour of Triebelova for a 5-0 opening. O’Rourke bounced back and was victorious in the second round according to four judges, but fell marginally short in spite of a dynamic and assertive third round. The judges tallied the final score: 4-3, tipping the scale in favour of Triebelova.