Bernard Dunne assures strong team are ready to perform
A ‘strong’ Irish boxing team are ‘ready’ to perform in Tokyo says Bernard Dunne.
Team Ireland, which includes seven Irish boxers, coaches, and support staff enter the Olympic village today ahead of the delayed 2020 Games.
The fighters have just finished a training camp in Miyazaki City and are now counting down to a July 24 tournament glove-off.
After a turbulent pandemic impacted year and a half, a delayed Games, and a reformated qualification process, Dunne claims the team are happy to be within touching distance of stepping out onto the biggest stage.
🇯🇵 TOKYO BOUND 🇯🇵
— IABA (@IABABOXING) June 29, 2021
Congratulations & best of luck to the 7️⃣ athletes officially named to represent @TeamIreland in 🥊 at #Tokyo2020
A proud moment for friends, families & clubs across the country!
Full story: https://t.co/EqksNdcUkH#IABA #TeamIreland #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/YWl5YQDZCM
The Dublin boxing legend and former world champion wasn’t making any bold predictions or sharing medal targets but he did assure the team was ready.
“They’re coming off a really tough tournament in Paris, and we have seven now qualified. We are ready, we have a strong team, both male and female. Everyone is just looking forward to it. It has been pushed back, and there has been so much doubt over the past year and a half, so it’s great that it’s finally here. And that the guys get to perform on the biggest stage, which is the Olympic Games.”
The Irish boxing team will be captained by Belfast flyweight Brendan Irvine and consists of World Championship gold medal winner Kellie Harrington, European medal winners Michaela Walsh, Kurt Walker, Aoife O’Rourke, Commonwealth Games medal winner Aidan Walsh and Emmet Brennan.
