Captains named for European Youth Championships
The Irish Youth team are currently in the final days of camp at St Brigid’s Offaly for the European Youth Championships.
The 15-fighter team will fly out to Italy next Tuesday for the tournament in Roseto which begins the following day.
The men’s and women’s tournaments will run concurrently for the first time and middleweights Kane Tucker and Lauren Kelly have been named the two team captains.
The team is a mix of youth and experience, with Tucker a Commonwealth Youth silver medalist last year and Kelly a bronze medalist at the European Youths last year.
Between the men’s and women’s championships last year, Ireland claimed four medals – with Kelly and Caitlin Fryers back again this year looking to better their respective bronze and silver medals.
Daina Moorehouse and Edward Donovan will also be on the plane and will be aiming to follow up their European Junior golds with podium finishes in the Under-18s tournament.
A crucial competition, AIBA controversially have made the Europeans a qualifying tournament for the World Youth Championships this August in addition to the Youth Olympics.
What’s needed for a place in the Youth Olympics this October in Argentina is simple – a fighter must win gold at the Euros. Ireland can take a maximum of 5 fighters to the Games (3 men, 2 women).
The male fighters must finish in the Top 7 to ensure they fight in the Worlds – which take place in a city to be confirmed.
It’s more varied for the women. Moorehouse, Mary Geraghty, and Evelyn Igharo need to make it to the semi-finals, while a quarter-final would suffice for Fryers, Kelly, Dearbhla Rooney, and Aoibha Ginty – whose sister claimed silver at the last Youth Olympics
“Our final leg of the training camp will be this Thursday to Saturday,” said head coach Billy McClean. “The team have worked extremely hard over the last number of weekends and are very much looking forward to the competition.”
“It will be a very tough as it is a qualifier or the World Championships and Olympic Youths. They’ll have to go very deep into the competition to qualify. We have a strong and talented team and they will be endeavouring to perform to their very best in Italy.”
Olympic champion Michael Carruth, Olympic BC coach Michael Mongan and Anita Just will also be working Ireland’s corner in Eastern Italy.
Team Ireland leave for Italy next Tuesday.
European Men’s and Women’s Youth Championships Roseto degli Abruzzi, Italy April 17/26
Team Ireland
48kg Daina Moorehouse (Enniskerry)
49kg Jude Gallagher (Two Castles)
51kg Caitlyn Fryers (Immaculata)
52kg Dean Clancy (Ballinacarrow)
54kg Mary Geraghty (Baldoyle)
56kg Brandon McCarthy (St Michaels Athy)
57kg Dearbhla Rooney (Sean McDermott)
60kg Alex Higgins (Fr Horgans)
60kg Aoibha Ginty (Geesala)
64kg Callum Walsh (Riverstown)
64kg Evelyn Igharo (Clann Naofa)
69kg Edward Donovan (O.L.O.L.)
75kg Lauren Kelly (St Brigids Edenderry) Captain
75kg Kane Tucker (Holy Family GG) Captain
81kg Edward Barrett (Olympic)
Team Manager: Peter O’Donnell and Fionna Hennigan
Coaches: Billy McClean, Michael Carruth, Michael Mongan, Anita Just
R&J John Casey
