Harrington sets up highly anticipated final with Team GB starlet on day of mixed fortunes
Kellie Harrington set up a mouthwatering gold medal bout with another impressive win in Paris today.
Having beaten riegning IBF world profesional champion Maiva Hamaddouche to qualify for the Olympic Games on Sunday, the Dubliner progressed to the final of the European Qualifying tournament to set up yet another eagerly anticipated clash.
Harrington booked her place in Tuesday’s lightweight final thanks to a 5-0 win over Turkey’s Yildiz Tsra, despite having to get up off the canvas. The 2019 World amateur Championships gold medal winner was dropped in the first round but recovered to win the second two stanzas and now fights Great Brittian’s emerging starlet and sister to heavyweight prospect Daniel Dubois, Caroline Dubois in a highly anticipated decider.
Featherweight Michaela Walsh also upgraded her guaranteed bronze medal to at least silver at the European qualifiers for Tokyo. Walsh came from behind to defeat Stanimira Petrova of Bulgaria on a 3-2 split decision. It was a successful revenge mission for the Monkstown BC fighter, who lost to Petrova in the finals of the 2019 European Games.
However, there was last four dissapointment for both Aoife O’Rourke and Aidan Walsh who lost out this afternoon.
O’Rourke gave it everything against Lauren Price, the top seed in the middleweight class but couldn’t progress. Likewise with Aidan Walsh against the highly fancied Pat McCormack.
Emmet Brennan will be in action tonight fighting for a place in Tokyo via a box off with Sweden’s Liridon Nuha tonight at 7:15.
European Olympic Qualifiers Paris, France
S/Finals
June 7th
75kg Lauren Price (Team GB) beat Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) 5-0
69kg Pat McCormack (Team GB) beat Aidan Walsh (Ireland) 5-0
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Stanimira Petrova (BUlgaria) 3-2
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Yildiz Tsra (Turkey) 5-0
Quarter-finals
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Stephanie Thour (Sweden) 5-0
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Yevheni Barabandy (Ukraine) 3-2
June 5th
Last 16
63kg George Bates (Ireland) lost to Javid Chalabiyev (Azerbaijan) 2-3
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) lost to Emanual Reyes (Spain) 0-5
91+kg Gytis Lisinskas (Ireland) lost to Peter Belberov (BUlgaria) 0-5
Quarter finals
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) beat Elzbieta Wojik (Poland) 5-0
52kg Brendan Irvine (Ireland) lost to Gabriel Escobar (Spain) 0-5
81kg Emmet Brennan (Ireland) lost to Luka Plantic (Croatia) 0-5
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Maiva Hamaddouche (France) 5-0
June 4
Last 16
75kg Aoife O’Rourke (Ireland) beat Viktoriya Kebikava (Belarus) 5-0
69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Wahid Hambli (France) 4-1
81kg Emmett Brennan (Ireland) beat Uke Smajli (Switzerland) 5-0
57kg Michaela Walsh (Ireland) beat Mona Mestian (France) 4-1
60kg Kellie Harrington (Ireland) beat Aneta Rygielska (Poland) 5-0
