MEDAL ALERT Again- Grainne Walsh continues Irish success with win over Euro Champ
The success continues.
Less that an hour after Michaela Walsh and just a day after Regan Buckley and Michael Nevin secured European Games bronze medals for Team Ireland, Grainne Walsh followed suit.
Again like her fellow Walsh on the team the Offally fighter secured a semi final slot and a bronze medal -at least- with an eye catching statement win.
The Spartacus fighter had to overcome European Champion and a bronze medal winner in last November’s World Championships to secure her place on the podium.
Welterweight Walsh defeated Finland’s Elina Gustafsson to add a European Games medal to the EU bronze she already has in her collection.
The victory means Irish boxers have won four of the five medals won by the nation at the Olympic styled tournament.
It also see’s Ireland equal the tally of the 2015 European Games where Katie Taylor, Joe Ward, Sean McComb and Brendan Irvine won medals- and three more fighters could secure medals before the day is done.
Ireland’s World Elite lightweight champion Kellie Harrington meets Italy’s Irma Testa at 5pm.
Harrington and Wahner, who Walsh has just defeated, were the only two Europeans to win gold at the World Elites in New Delhi last year.
Kurt Walker, the No. 4 seed in Minsk, meets French bantam Samuel Kistohurry in the last eight in a repeat of the 2012 World Youth clash in Armenia which Walker won on his way to bronze. Lauren Price of Team GB is the opponent for Aoife O’Rourke.
Irish squad
Female
57kg Michaela Walsh (Monsktown A)
60kg Kellie Harrington (St Marys)
69kg Gráinne Walsh (Spartacus)
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Castlerea)
Male
49kg Regan Buckley (St Teresa’s) (Bronze, at least)
56kg Kurt Walker (Canal)
64kg James McGivern (St George’s)
69kg Kieran Molloy (Oughterard)
75kg Michael Nevin (Portlaoise) (Bronze, at least)
91kg Tony Browne (St Michael’s Dublin)
91kg+ Dean Gardiner (Clonmel)
Team manager: Bernard Dunne
Coaches: Zaur Antia, John Conlan, Dmitry Dimitruk
