Kellie Harrington, Amy Broadhurst and Tina Desmond win gold for Ireland
Glory day for Ireland’s boxers in Bulgaria.
Ireland's Amy Broadhurst beat Germany’s Leonie Muller to claim her second successive gold medal at the Strandja Memorial boxing tournament in Sofia. — © SPORTSFILE
Ireland has claimed three gold medals at the Strandja Memorial boxing tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Olympic champion Kellie Harrington, World champion Amy Broadhurst and European silver medallist Tina Desmond all won their respective finals on unanimous 5-0 decisions in a tournament which is rated as the most prestigious in the world outside championship boxing.
Arguably the most significant of the hat-trick of victories was achieved by World and European light welterweight champion Amy Broadhurst.
After losing to Gráinne Walsh in the IABA Elite welterweight final last month in the welterweight there were doubts over her decision to compete in the higher weight division even though it is an Olympic category.
But she fashioned four excellent wins in Sofia whereas Walsh was beaten in the first round.
Read more
Among those the Dundalk native defeated was 2022 welterweight World silver medallist Charlie Cavanagh from Canada and China’s Lui Yang, a former World silver medallist at light middleweight.
In today’s final Broadhurst beat Germany’s Leonie Muller to claim her second successive gold medal in the tournament.
Olympic champion Kellie Harrington also picked up another gold medal at the tournament.
Having opted to compete in the non-Olympic light welterweight category she received a bye into the semi-final. She beat France’s Fatia Benmessahel in the silver medal fight and accounted for Keono Sam-Sin from Holland in today’s final.
Like Harrington, Tina Desmond, a silver medallist at the European championships last year, also received a bye into the last four of her weight division. In the light middleweight final, she beat Barbara Marcinkowska from Poland.
Waterford’s Kelyn Cassidy (light heavyweight ) won a bronze medal so Ireland bring home four medals from Bulgaria.
Today's Headlines
BAIL GRANTED | Face of Co Antrim woman (29) accused of sexual activity with underage boy
long read | Jasmine McMonagle’s killer told gardaí ‘there was no one to stop me’, trial heard
Well doir-served | Doireann Garrihy heads on first holiday with new boyfriend Mark Mehigan
inundated | Gardai 'overwhelmed' with complaints against GAA legend accused of taking millions in cancer scam
'SAVAGE' | Man (19) jailed after gang attack left teenager Alanna Quinn Idris blind in one eye
Dark day | Renters feel ‘abandoned’ as eviction ban deadline approaches, charity says
Buying Without Wings | Inside Westlife star Mark Feehily’s stunning Dublin home which he sold for €2.3m
CRIME WORLD | The new sanctions on Edin Gacanin and the global effort to take down Kinahan cartel
Public appeal | Man (60s) charged with alleged incident of indecent exposure in Portlaoise
new gig | Laura Whitmore to tackle ‘rough sex and violence’ in new documentary series